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As India gears up for the first Test against England starting June 20, the opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul seems locked in. That leaves one of the most critical slots in the lineup — No.3 — up for grabs. The position which former stalwarts like Rahul Dravid and Cheteshwar Pujara made it their own.
The choice appears to be between Abhimanyu Easwaran, the seasoned domestic campaigner recently named captain of the India A side, and Sai Sudharsan, the rising star who’s fresh off an impressive IPL season and a growing reputation in red-ball cricket.
While Easwaran has long been on the fringes of Test selection and enjoys the backing of coach Gautam Gambhir, the presence of Shubman Gill as Test captain adds an interesting twist. With Gill expected to bat at No.4, the question is: Will he push for his IPL teammate and fellow Gen-Z batter Sai to slot in at No.3?
Easwaran brings patience and years of first-class pedigree, while Sai brings flair, form, and momentum. This isn’t just a battle of technique — it’s about philosophy: whether India sticks to the traditional grind-it-out approach or injects fresh energy into the top order with bold selections remains to be seen.
Whatever happens, this selection will signal more than just who bats at one-down — it’ll show how much say the new Test skipper has, and how much weight the new coach carries in shaping this red-ball reboot.
If a compromise happens — both Eashwan and Sai could be seen playing the first Test. If one of them is left out, another proven middle-order batter from domestic cricket Karun Nair may fancy his chances if the Indian team management pushes for three pacers instead of four. Otherwise, Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Reddy are going nowhere. So is Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna and Mohammad Siraj.
With vice-captain Rishabh Pant being expected to wield some willow magic at No.5 or 6 — depending on fans and the whims of Gambhir — this team looks reasonably well balanced despite the lack of experience of Virat Kohli. It’s only the batters, who need to show some consistency, otherwise the bowlers are all fit and raring to go.
