IND vs ENG: India Predicted XI For Headingley Test- KL Rahul To Open, Shubman Gill At No. 4, Shardul Thakur Over Nitish Kumar Reddy?

The anticipation for the first Test has started to build up, and Shubman Gill and Co. will have a tricky challenge when they take on England in the first Test at Headingley on June 20. This will be Shubman's first game as India's Test captain, and the pressure will be piling on him.

With the retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the focus will be entirely on the batting lineup, which is expected to undergo a plethora of changes. Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair received call-ups to the Test cricket team, and they will juggle for a spot in the playing XI. Let's have a look at India's playing XI for the first Test at Headingley.

KL Rahul To Open With Yashasvi Jaiswal

Yashasvi Jaiswal has made a phenomenal start to his Test career, and he already had experience of opening the batting with KL Rahul in Australia when the duo set the platform in Perth for a memorable win in Perth.

Also Read: IND v ENG: Predicting England's Playing XI For First Test vs India - Ollie Pope Over Jacob Bethell, Chris Woakes to Get The Nod?

Sai Sudharsan To Get The Nod Over Sai Sudharsan?

Sai Sudharsan is likely to take over the much important no. 3 spot. The left-handed batter has been in prolific form and could make his Test debut. Shubman Gill is poised to take Virat Kohli's No. 4 spot, while Karun Nair and Rishabh Pant should follow him at No. 5 and 6. On the back of a brilliant display in the intra-squad game, Shardul Thakur should get the nod over Nitish Kumar Reddy, while Ravindra Jadeja will be the sole spinner most likely.

Jasprit Bumrah To Spearhead Indian Bowling Lineup

Jasprit Bumrah will headline the Indian bowling lineup, and he is likely to be assisted by Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh. Arshdeep was named in the Test setup, and the left-handed pacer could get the nod for his ability to swing the ball both ways.

​India Predicted XI vs England: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant (vc & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh.

Also Read: Ahead of IND vs ENG Headingley Test, Gautam Gambhir Warned Against Making The Big KL Rahul Mistake Which Costed India The Border-Gavaskar Trophy