"This will be good exposure for him, this tour" - Ravi Shastri picks India's new No. 3 for 2025 ENG vs IND 1st Test

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has picked his new No. 3 batter while announcing his playing XI choice for the first Test against England, which begins at Headingley in Leeds, beginning June 20. The coach-turned-commentator believes that debutant Sai Sudharsan should play as the new number three in the series opener while backing skipper Shubman Gill to fill in the void created by Virat Kohli, who retired from Tests last month, at No. 4. Shastri stuck with Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul for the opening role.

Ravi Shastri told the ICC Review:

“It would be (Yashasvi) Jaiswal, and with him will be KL. Rahul, because I think this is a big tour for him. He's the most experienced of the batsmen. He opened last time when India toured England, got a hundred, (and) had a good tour. So, I would hope for him to open the innings.”

“Three, I'll go with the youngster, Sai Sudarshan. Whatever I've seen of him, he's very impressive. This will be good exposure for him, this tour,” he added.

Ravi Shastri’s remarks came after Sudharsan won the IPL 2025 Orange Cap with 759 runs in 15 innings, including a century and six 50s for Gujarat Titans (GT). He also scored 527 runs in 12 innings for the Ahmedabad-based franchise in the 2024 season. In his first-class career, the southpaw has 1,957 runs in 49 innings, averaging 39.93 with the help of seven centuries and five fifties.

Shastri further picked Karun Nair, who recently smashed a double century against England Lions, at No. 5 while crediting him for his national comeback after an eight-year gap:

“In all probability, depending on what current form is, it'll be Karun Nair. He bats at five, it's a long time since he played for India. Six will be (Rishabh) Pant. I think he (Nair) has worked really hard. He's just worked his way back into the side. The number of runs he's got in first-last cricket is incredible.”

“And I met him during an IPL game. I said, ‘don't just bang the door. Just kick it down and make your way in and walk into that side’. And I think he's done just that. Just the number of runs that he's got has made the selectors look in that direction and give him a place,” he added.

Shastri further picked all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur or Nitish Reddy, alongside fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and one between Arshdeep Singh and Prasidh Krishna, depending on the conditions.

“I would go with three fast bowlers, (plus) Shardul Thakur. “I know it'll be a tough one between Shardul and Nitish Reddy, but you have to see who bowls how much. If Reddy is going to give you 12, 14 overs, then he might get the nod because of his batting.”

“And the three fast bowlers would be, I would go with Prasidh Krishna, I would go with Mohammed Siraj and of course Jasprit Bumrah. In Leeds, if it's overcast and it's cloudy, there might be the temptation of going with the left-armer Ashdeep Singh as well. So it will be Prasad, Prasidh Krishna/Ashdeep but the other two will be Siraj and Bumrah,” he added.

Ravi Shastri believes that Virat Kohli’s Test retirement could’ve been handled better

Ravi Shastri recently opened up on Virat Kohli’s retirement from Test cricket. The 63-year-old said he would’ve made him the Test captain following the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where India lost the five-match series by a 1-3 margin. He told Sony Sports Network (via The Times of India):

“Virat has announced his retirement from Test matches, which is sad, you know, because he's a great player. A great player. It's only when you go that people truly realise how big a player you were. Stats don’t do justice — it’s about the way he carried himself, especially as an ambassador for Test match cricket, particularly overseas. The way he played at Lord’s, and how his team turned things around — it was unreal. And I’m glad I was a part of it.”

“I feel sad that he's gone the way he has — suddenly. I think it could have been handled better, maybe with more communication. If I had anything to do with it, I would’ve made him captain straight after Australia,” he added.

With Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retired from Tests, the youngsters would be keen to put up a spirited performance for Team India in England.