While the Indian Premier League (IPL) is the focus of the cricketing world at the moment, one eye of the Indian cricket fraternity is on the Test series against England, with the national team set to face the Ben Stokes-led side in a marquee five-match Test series from June 20, less than a month after the final of the world's richest cricket league.

After India's disastrous Test summer in 2024-25, the Rohit Sharma-led team's fortunes in red-ball cricket have emerged as a worry. Hence, the squad for the England series will be the first picked since the team's whitewash at home against New Zealand and the 3-1 drubbing in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) will be an interesting selection as it remains to be seen if Ajit Agarkar opts for the bold move to moving past senior players and kickstart a transition.

Recent reports have suggested that Rohit will retain the captaincy despite his horror run with the bat, which ultimately led to him opting out of the Sydney Test. If Rohit does not travel to England, Jasprit Bumrah is likely to take charge of the team on a permanent basis after recovering from a back injury that saw him miss nearly three months of cricket.

It is India's batting that was the main cause of their poor display recently, and changes are expected. While Virat Kohli's spot has come under the scanner, the ex-skipper is likely to get an extended run. However, Karun Nair, who put himself in the spotlight after his first IPL half-century in seven years, is set for a recall to the national team after eight years following a dream domestic season across formats just two years after being dropped by Karnataka and moving to Vidarbha.

Sarfaraz Khan has been among the most consistent performers in domestic cricket for India, and despite his impressive debut against England and century against New Zealand in Bengaluru, the team management did not show faith in him in overseas conditions, which could mean he missed out.

The likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul impressed in Australia in the top order and will be key to the team's hopes in Australia. While Shubman Gill's test record has left a lot to be desired, his spot is secure, and he is among those in and should continue batting at number three. Devdutt Padikkal will retain his spot if Rohit does not make the trip to England while Sai Sudharsan is not far away from making his debut in the longest format .

Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel's spots as the two wicket-keeper batters are a non-debate, and Nitish Kumar Reddy should walk into the squad after his heroics down under. Shardul Thakur missed out in Australia, but the team struggled to have a reliable bowling option at number eight, and the all-rounder should get a recall for the trip to England.

Mohammed Shami is set to play his first Test match in over two years in England, and Mohammed Siraj should get the nod despite being dropped for the Champions Trophy. Akash Deep, and Prasidh Krishna are likely to be the back-up pacers with Prasidh Krishna and Mukesh Kumar also in contention.

After Ravichandran Ashwin's retirement, the spin bowling department will see some changes. While Ravindra Jadeja is India's Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the longest format, Kuldeep Yadav could get a recall. Washington Sundar has the backing of the team management and could once again pip Axar Patel.

India Predicted Squad For England Test Series: Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Karun Nair, Devdutt Padikkal/Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana

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