Sanjay Manjrekar picks India's playing 11 for ENG vs IND 2025 3rd Test; leaves out Washington Sundar

Sanjay Manjrekar has shared his preferred India playing XI ahead of the upcoming third Test of the five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series against England. The match kicks off on Thursday, July 10, at Lord's, London.

The former India batter opined that Shubman Gill and Co. should consider roping in left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav in place of spin-bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar.

It is worth mentioning that Sundar was added to the playing XI in place of Shardul Thakur at Edgbaston, Birmingham, for the second Test. He did a decent job with the bat, registering scores of 42 and 12*.

He picked up just one wicket with the ball across two innings. Manjrekar suggested that going in with a wicket-taking spinner like Kuldeep at Lord's would be a better choice.

The cricketer-turned-commentator also reckoned that Sai Sudharsan should return as India's No. 3. The southpaw made his debut in the Test series opener at Headingley, Leeds, where he finished with scores of 0 and 30.

He was dropped for the subsequent encounter, and Karun Nair was promoted to the No. 3 spot. Manjrekar, however, believes Sudharsan should be back as Nair is better suited to bat lower down the order.

Meanwhile, the series is leveled at 1-1. England secured a stunning five-wicket victory by chasing down a daunting 371-run target in the first Test. India bounced back brilliantly by clinching a historic 336-run victory at Edgbaston.

Sanjay Manjrekar's preferred XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah.

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"This management might once again go with Washi" - Sanjay Manjrekar on chances of Kuldeep Yadav playing in ENG vs IND 2025 3rd Test

In the same video, Sanjay Manjrekar remarked that he would prefer picking Kuldeep Yadav over Washington Sundar in the playing XI at Lord's. He noted that it was unlikely to happen as the Indian think tank is expected to persist with Washington.

"I prefer Kuldeep, but I have a feeling, this management might once again go with Washi," remarked Sanjay Manjrekar

Explaining why playing Kuldeep over Washington will be a better option, the cricketer-turned-commentator added:

"Kuldeep Yadav, if the sun stays out, and Lord's, they're telling me looks a bit of a dry pitch, then you have got that Kuldeep Yadav factor as well so you don't have to depend completely on the seamers."

Kuldeep has yet to play a single match in the ongoing series. He has featured in just one Test on English soil in his career. The appearance came at Lord's, where he remained wicketless in England's only innings in 2018.