Wasim Jaffer picks India's playing XI for 1st Test vs England, Pandya & KL Rahul snubbed

With five days to go for the first Test against England, former cricketer Wasim Jaffer on Sunday announced his playing XI for the game at the Chepauk. Jaffer, who also holds the batting coach position for Punjab in the IPL, picked Rohit Sharma and youngster Shubman Gill to open the innings against England. The openers were followed by Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane taking cue from the form of the players in the recently concluded Australia series. 

Rishabh Pant claimed the keeper's position ahead of Wriddhiman Saha in Jaffer's XI whereas Axar Patel was given the all-rounder's place with Ravindra Jadeja being ruled out of the series due to injury. He picked Ravichandran Ashwin as the first spinner and Jasprit Bumrah as the lead pacer. For the 9th spot, Jaffer named either Kuldeep Yadav or Shardul Thakur and similarly for the 10th place he picked either Ishant Sharma or Mohammed Siraj. 

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Highlighting that England have 'huge weakness' against left-arm spin, Kuldeep Yadav might have the edge ahead of Shardul Thakur. Jaffer also noted that the question over two spots (9th and 10th) depends on the combination and the pitch conditions. The track record at Chepauk shows that the pitch assists spinners heavily. 

Notably, KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya found no space in Jaffer's playing XI for the first Test against England. Moreover, Washington Sundar - who made a tremendous contribution to India's historic win in Australia - was also left out along with out-of-form Mayank Agarwal. 

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Team India's Full Squad includes: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Wriddhiman Saha, Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel

Stokes, Archer back in England camp

Meanwhile, English selectors have brought stars Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes back into the squad as they set their eyes on the World Test Championship. England has announced 16-man strong squad with an additional six members slated to travel as reserves. Joe Root will continue to lead the side while Moeen Ali, who was infected with COVID-19 in Sri Lanka, will travel to India for the Test series. Rory Burns will also return to the squad. Ollie Pope has also been included in the touring party, however, he will only be included if deemed fit. 

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England will be visiting India for an all-format bilateral series that will go on for almost two months. The gruelling tour with the English cricket team comprises four Test matches, five T20Is, and three ODIs up until March 28. The five-match Test series will also constitute a major part of the ongoing inaugural ICC World Test Championship.

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