NEW DELHI: India’s campaign in the ongoing five-Test Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England has been marked by constant flux in their playing XI, with captain Shubman Gill leading a side that featured a different combination in every match. As the series reaches its climax at The Oval, India entered the fifth and final Test with four fresh changes, continuing the trend of no unchanged XI throughout the tour.Live Score: India vs England 5th TestDespite the rotation and tactical reshuffling, three players — Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, and Abhimanyu Easwaran — did not feature in any of the five Tests. While Kuldeep remained on the bench despite some chatter around spin options, Arshdeep and Easwaran are still waiting for their Test debuts.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!India made their intent clear from the start of the series, frequently adapting based on conditions, form, and workload. The rotation of Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested as part of pre-decided workload management, meant at least one change was guaranteed. But the changes went beyond that.
After losing the first Test in Leeds, India made three changes at Edgbaston, replacing Sai Sudharsan, Shardul Thakur, and Bumrah with Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, and Akash Deep. That combination earned India a thumping 336-run win.In the third Test at Lord’s, India made just one swap — Bumrah returned for Prasidh Krishna. However, a narrow 22-run loss there triggered more changes. For the fourth Test in Manchester, Sudharsan, Shardul, and debutant Anshul Kamboj were brought in, while Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, and Akash Deep were left out.India showed great grit to draw the fourth Test and stay alive in the series.But for the final showdown at The Oval, they shuffled again — Dhruv Jurel, Karun Nair, Akash Deep, and Prasidh Krishna came in for Pant, Shardul, Kamboj, and Bumrah.Whether these constant changes help or hinder India’s bid to level the series 2-2 remains to be seen. But one thing is certain — India’s adaptability and bench strength have been thoroughly tested in this gruelling five-Test saga.
India’s Playing XIs vs England in 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy :
- 1st Test: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
- 2nd Test: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
- 3rd Test: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
- 4th Test: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Anshul Kamboj, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
- 5th Test: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj