Suresh Raina Unveils His India XI For 1st Test; Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal Named Openers

For the opening Test of the next five-match series against England, former Team India batsman Suresh Raina has selected his starting lineup. The former cricket player left out players like Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shardul Thakur, and Kuldeep Yadav from his starting lineup while praising recently chosen captain Shubman Gill.

The 18-man team for the forthcoming Test series against England was announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday.

New look team India to travel to England

For both nations, the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025–27 cycle will begin with this series. Notably, India is going through a transitional period right now.

India wants to win a Test series in England for the first time since 2007. They had a great chance to win the series on their last tour, but they were drawn 2-2 after England won the postponed final Test in 2022.

Suresh Raina banks on Shubman Gill to turn India’s fortunes as he names his XI

Gill is a gifted player and a capable on-field leader, according to a video posted by Suresh Raina on Instagram. He claimed that Gill's IPL 2025 performance was outstanding.

The next captain of India's Test cricket squad is Shubman Gill. His deputy will be Rishabh Pant. Arshdeep Singh and Sai Sudharsan were called up for the first time. After a stellar Ranji Trophy season in 2024–2025, Karun Nair rejoined the team.

There are concerns about Gill's performance in overseas Tests, especially in England. He has a career average of 35.05 from 32 matches, but his average drops to 14.67 in three Tests played in England.

With rookie Sai Sudharsan batting at number three, Suresh Raina selected Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal as openers. Karun Nair and KL Rahul were ranked four and five, respectively, by him. Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja ought to bat at six and seven, Raina continued.

"They (KL Rahul and Karun Nair) are solid in that. Technique-wise, they are solid. They have heaps of experience to assess the conditions and the situation. Both are players with different temperaments. Karun has scored a lot of runs. He scored a triple hundred in Chennai. So, I think he will be important. Then you can play Rishabh Pant at number 6 and Ravindra Jadeja at number 7," Raina said on Instagram.

Suresh Raina thinks the rebuilt Test team would present a difficult test for England. He claimed that Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill would infuse the team with new vitality.

"It won't be that easy for England. It's a new team. I'm sure there will be a lot of expectations. But I think giving the captaincy to Shubman Gill and making Rishabh Pant the vice-captain will bring a lot of energy around him. He will look like a different character,” Raina added.

Suresh Raina's India Playing XI: Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh

Here is the video:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Suresh Raina (@sureshraina3)

Also Read: Arshdeep Singh In Hot Waters; Private Chat With Beautiful Girl Leaked Online