The 5-Test series between India and England is starting from June 20 at Headingley, Leeds. Before this series, captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir have given many big hints about the playing-11.

IND vs ENG Test: The 5-Test series between India and England is going to start from June 20, 2025 at Headingley, Leeds. Discussions have intensified on the possible playing-11 of Team India regarding this series. The Indian team for the England tour was announced only last month. Shubman Gill has been given the captaincy as the captain, while Rishabh Pant has been made the vice-captain. However, before going to play the series in England, captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir have cleared the picture of the playing-11 to a great extent by giving many important hints during a press conference at the BCCI headquarters.

Gambhir hinted at a comeback by supporting Karun Nair

Head coach Gautam Gambhir, while talking about the playing-11 during the press conference, has made a big statement about the name of Karun Nair. Gambhir specifically took the name of Karun Nair in his statement and praised his recent form.

Gambhir said, "When a player scores runs consistently, it is wrong to judge him on the performance of just 1-2 Tests. If Karun Nair has scored runs, then he should get opportunities." From this statement of Gambhir, it can be guessed that Karun Nair, who returned to the Test team after 8 years, is sure to get a chance in the first Test against England.

Karun Nair recently scored a double century against England Lions while playing for India-A before the England tour and also introduced his excellent form to the selectors by scoring 863 runs in Ranji Trophy 2024-25.

Praising this brilliant performance of Nair, Gambhir said that the experience of a player like Nair can prove to be extremely useful for the team in the difficult conditions of England.

Let us tell you that Karun Nair attracted everyone's attention by scoring a triple century against a strong team like England in the year 2016, but shortly after this he was out of the team. Even after this, he has ensured his place back in the Indian team by consistently performing well in county cricket and domestic cricket.

Shubman Gill kept silence on playing-11

In the press conference held before the England tour, Team India's new Test captain Shubman Gill has maintained suspense on the question of playing-11. He made it clear in a conversation with the media that the final playing-11 will be selected only after reaching England. Gill said, "We still have intra-squad matches and a 10-day practice camp, only after that we will take some decision on the final team combination." However, it is clear from the words of captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir that the place of some key players in the team is almost confirmed.

Through this series, Shubman Gill is making his Test team captaincy debut, and it will be interesting to see how the balance of the team remains under his captaincy. Especially after the retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from Test cricket, there is still discussion about the number 3 and 4 batting positions.

Probable playing-11 of Indian team

Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Shubman Gill (captain), Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant (vice-captain and wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.