England Vs India 2021: Rohit Sharma Leads Indians XI As Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, R Ashwin, Ishant Sharma Rested vs County Select XI

The first three-day warm-up game between Team India and a County select XI at the Riverside in Durham has finally got underway.

Team India has won the toss and it has decided to bat first. Interestingly, regular Indian skipper, Virat Kohli isn’t playing the practice match and veteran opener and limited-overs vice-captain, Rohit Sharma, is leading the continent.

Sharma won the toss in Durham and he had no hesitation in making the first use of the surface.

Apart from skipper Virat Kohli, vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, veteran fast bowler Ishant Sharma, ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin are also not featuring in the practice game as India have opted to give game-time to the likes of Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Axar Patel and seam-bowling all-rounder, Shardul Thakur.

With Shubman Gill set to be sidelined for the entire five-match series, Mayank Agarwal is likely to feature as an opener alongside Rohit Sharma.

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Playing XI : Rohit Sharma (Capt), Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, KL Rahul (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Md Siraj p<!---->i<!---->c<!---->.<!---->t<!---->w<!---->i<!---->t<!---->t<!---->e<!---->r<!---->.<!---->c<!---->o<!---->m<!---->/<!---->j<!---->4<!---->z<!---->i<!---->X<!---->2<!---->z<!---->B<!---->n<!---->V

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Great opportunity for Mayank, KL Rahul, Shardul, and Siraj to push their case ahead of India’s Test series against England

Agarwal hasn’t played a long-form game ever since he got dropped from the Indian playing XI post the Boxing Day Test against Australia last winter, and, so the three-day warm-up game will be a great opportunity for him to spend some time in the middle.

KL Rahul, on the other hand, will don the wicket-keeping gloves in the absence of Rishabh Pant and Wriddhiman Saha. While Pant is yet to join the Indian contingent due to Covid, Saha is currently undergoing isolation after coming in contact with throwdown specialist, Garani.

Rahul will be batting at the No.5 slot while Hanuma Vihari will take up Virat Kohli’s No.4 spot in the practice game.

It will be a crucial game for Shardul Thakur as well. With Hardik Pandya no longer a part of the Test set-up, Team India are desperate for a seam-bowling all-rounder in overseas conditions.

Thakur did well in the Brisbane Test where he claimed as many as seven wickets besides scoring a match-winning half-century in the first innings.

Thakur is the only conventional swing bowler in the Indian squad and his addition can prove to be valuable for the visitors in the upcoming Test series.

The game will also be an opportunity for Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj to regain some rhythm before the Test series.

Bumrah clearly looked rusty during the WTC final but as the game progressed, he kept getting better. He will be looking to get some more overs under his belt and regain his confidence which would have taken a dent after a poor outing in the final.

As for Siraj, he hasn’t played a competitive game since May, and with him expected to play a significant role in the upcoming Test series, the Hyderabad pacer will also be looking to get back into his groove. The same will be the case with Umesh Yadav, who will be looking to make a mark in the warm-up game.

Team India’s playing XI for the warm-up game against County Select XI-

Rohit Sharma [C], Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, KL Rahul [WK], Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah