Ranking each batter from India’s squad for England Exams primarily based on kind ft. KL Rahul 9/10

No Virat Kohli. No Rohit Sharma. Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara have been phased out. KL Rahul remains the only Indian batter who played when India last toured England for a lengthy Test series. A new-look team, under Gautam Gambhir, has stepped onto the English soil with youthfulness about them.

With Shubman Gill at the helm, the Indian team will be looking not just to replace the gone legends but also to put up a much better performance as compared to their ordinary show in Australia. The likes of Karun Nair and Sai Sudharsan have forced their way in, while Yashasvi Jaiswal will also be eyeing a strong maiden series in England. Below, we rank all the Indian batters based on their form going into the five-match Test series.

Shubman Gill: 8.5/10, Rishabh Pant: 6/10

Two new leaders of the camp to start with. Shubman Gill has massive shoes to fill, and he will be under immense pressure. Not only his batting exploits but Gill’s captaincy will be under the microscope. Thankfully for the new Test captain, his form has been with him. Gill had a successful IPL 2025, amassing 650 runs at 50.00 and 155.88. He looked in sublime touch, and his captaincy was decent as well with the Gujarat Titans.

Gill was initially selected in India’s two unofficial Tests against the England Lions, but Gill opted for much-needed rest and didn’t play. He, however, hit fifty in the intra-squad game. This means he’s in a good rhythm. However, one player who would need to rediscover rhythm is Rishabh Pant, who’s the new Indian Test vice-captain.

Pant had an awful IPL 2025, at least, till the last league game against RCB. In the very last game, Pant hit a sublime hundred. This would’ve given him a much-needed boost going into the upcoming Test series. However, it is Pant’s tally of 269 at 24.45 is hard to ignore. The price tag (Rs 27 cr) pressure might have certainly played a part. But he’s India’s best Test batter. A few hit early in the series can get him in the groove.

Yashasvi Jaiswal: 7.5/10, KL Rahul 9/10

India is most likely to pair Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul together. They will face the hard, new Duke’s ball, and their form could be a major deciding factor. Thankfully, both of them are in good nick, especially KL Rahul. Ever since the ODI Champions Trophy earlier this year, Rahul has been firing runs left, right and centre. His batting position was changed multiple times at the Delhi Capitals (DC), but he still managed to hammer 539 runs at 53.90.

Terrifically, Rahul also played the second practice match against England Lions and clobbered a century to stake his authority. Even in the intra-squad game, Rahul slammed a fifty, making him the most in-form Indian player going into the series.

Conversely, Yashasvi Jaiswal is yet to hit his straps in England. He played both the unofficial Tests but managed just 110 runs at an average of 27.50. While the four innings were definitely vital in helping him adapt to the conditions, they didn’t yield many runs. This might play a part in his preparation as well. Just like Rahul, however, Jaiswal had a great IPL, where he hit 559 runs at 43.00.

Sai Sudharsan: 9/10, Abhimanyu Easwaran 7/10

Sai Sudharsan won the majority of individual awards for his splendid IPL 2025 campaign. To outshine Shubman Gill is no easy task, but Sudharsan did it on the back of his immense consistency. He ended up as the league’s highest run-getter with 759 runs at 54.21, and his strike rate (156.17) took a jump as well.

Although it was white-ball cricket, the southpaw would definitely bank on his form to come good in England. While we don’t know how he performed in the intra-squad game, Sudharsan’s appetite can work his way up.

Meanwhile, Abhimanyu Easwaran can still remain away from his dream of representing India. This is because he failed to nail down the chance he got in the England Lions series. Leading India A, Easwaran did hit two fifties but it equalled to just 167 runs at 41.75. With his other teammates in tremendous form, Easwaran might start on the bench.

Karun Nair: 8.5/10, Dhruv Jurel: 8/10

Now, the last bunch of specialist batters, Karun Nair and Dhruv Jurel. Karun Nair tore away the selection door and made his remarkable comeback after eight years. This was due to the bucketload of runs he scored in the domestic circuit. In the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy, he scored 779 runs at an unbelievable average of 389.50! In the Ranji Trophy, Nair made 863. He started his IPL 2025 campaign in a breathtaking fashion as well, hammering 89 (40). But a poor set of games followed.

Remarkably, when the two first-class games came up, Nair mauled another century, this time a double ton for India A! In the very first innings against England Lions, Nair showed that he’s raring to go with a marathon 281-ball 204.

Meanwhile, Dhruv Jurel has been fantastic as well. His IPL 2025 campaign was underrated, with Jurel even featuring in this unique XI. The Rajasthan Royals keeper mustered 333 runs at 37.00 and at an SR of 156.34 – all this while batting at numbers five and six. However, what truly set eyeballs on him was his form during the two unofficial Tests against the England Lions. Jurel clamoured three back-to-back fifties, which has started a debate for his inclusion in the first XI too.

India squad for five-match Test series vs England

Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana