No Karun Nair: Ajinkya Rahane's big call in India playing XI for England Test
Ajinkya Rahane, the experienced middle-order batter who has been out of favour for quite some time, offered an interesting take on what India's playing XI should look like for the first Test against England at Headingley, starting Friday, June 20. Notably, Rahane left out in-form domestic star Karun Nair and instead picked Dhruv Jurel in his XI.Speaking on his YouTube channel, Rahane shared his thoughts based on his international experience. Rishabh Pant, India's newly appointed vice-captain, had already confirmed during the pre-match press conference that skipper Shubman Gill would bat at number four, with Pant himself following at number five. That leaves a question mark over the number three and number six spots.advertisementGiven Karun Nair's strong domestic season and his recent double-hundred during the practice match, many expected him to feature in one of those middle-order positions.
Nair has been through the grind since being dropped from the side in 2018, consistently performing in both first-class and List A cricket. He scored 863 runs in the recent Ranji Trophy season and followed it up with 779 runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.RAHANE BACKS SUDHARSAN TO BAT AT NO: 3Rahane believes that the young and swashbuckling talent, Sai Sudharsan, deserves a chance at the number three spot. He backed Sudharsan's inclusion based on his Indian Premier League season and his recent domestic performances as well."I think so. Yes, he has been in very good form in T20 cricket as well as red-ball cricket. Whatever domestic matches he has played, he's done really well for his side and his technique looks really composed and calm whenever he is batting at the crease, so I think he should be given a chance to bat at number three.advertisementAll eyes will be on the screen as the Shubman Gill era officially begins. Fans and experts alike will be eager to see how the playing XI shapes up - and whether Karun Nair manages to make the cut.Ajinkya Rahane's Probable XI for the Headingley Test: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Dhruv Jurel, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep SinghMust Watch
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