Will be interesting to see where 'most experienced batter' Rahul is slotted, says WV Raman

With Rohit Sharma retiring from Tests, and barring any last-minute surprises, Rahul is all but certain to be the opener alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. It also helps that Rahul, who has 58 Test caps, made an assured 116 and 51 for India A against England Lions in the second multi-day match in Northampton.

Though there’s a school of thought which feels that number five is where Rahul could add solidity, Rahul’s experience, patience and ability to stay put against the moving ball, as well as guide young Jaiswal in navigating difficult situations in England make him an ideal fit as the top of the order.

“K.L. Rahul will obviously need to step it up because he's the most experienced of the lot, and he's also been around for a long time. He's got the temperament and he's performed well in all the three formats for India in the past. So, there'll be a lot of expectations as far as K.L. Rahul is concerned.”

“It is going to be very interesting as to where he's likely to be slotted right through the series, because we've seen K.L. Rahul going up and down the order in almost just about every format. The beauty of it is that he keeps getting runs as well.”

“But I think they (Indian team think-tank) need to try and have a very clear idea of who's going to be batting where right through the series, because in a five-match series, you'll have the opportunity of sussing things out and also trying to zoom in on the best possible combination that you could play for the later half of the series where things really hot up,” said Raman to IANS in an exclusive interaction organised by Sony Sports Network.

On the other hand, young in-form left-handed batter B Sai Sudharsan is being looked as the front-runner to bat at number three, though Raman felt unsure of him being included in playing eleven for first two games in Leeds and Birmingham.

“I wonder if he'll be playing in the first place in the first two Test matches, because the batting order that I have in my mind does not feature him. But the team management may think otherwise. They may even thrust him up the order. They'll perhaps give him the chances because he's in good nick, and he's also shown good temperament.”

“But as far as he's concerned, he's a guy who's had a feel of the English conditions by the way of playing in the English county seasons in the past. He's got a good temperament, and is someone who's a quick learner. I'm sure that if he gets a string of opportunities, he'll definitely perform as he's done in the past in every particular level that he's played so far,” he added.

Though England’s bowling attack for the first Test looks thin with injuries to Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Gus Atkinson, Raman cautioned that a not-so solid Indian batting line-up can’t afford to take the hosts’ bowling line-up lightly in pacer-friendly conditions in Leeds, when the first Test starts on June 20.

“See, let's not take the other seamers lightly, because they have played all their cricket under those conditions, and they know what to do. They may not have really picked up a lot of wickets in international cricket or in Test cricket. But they know what it takes to pick up wickets in English conditions, and let's not underestimate Chris Woakes. He is a good bowler and (Jamie) Overton can be good as well on his day.”

“They also have (Brydon) Carse, who is also a handful when the conditions are right. So if the conditions are right and if the English batters put enough runs on the board, I think they do have the wherewithal to challenge the Indian batters. Let's not forget that the Indian batting is also not really very solid. Yes, there is a lot of talent, but it remains to be seen how they handle tougher conditions.”

“That is something that will give even the current England bowling attack a lot of encouragement. To back all these fast bowlers, you always have the skipper, Ben Stokes, who has the knack of picking up wickets at the right time, and that's another thing they will be banking on,” he concluded.

The much-anticipated India tour of England, starting from June 20, will be shown live and exclusive on the Sony Sports Network channels.