Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa named his India playing XI for the first Test against England, scheduled for 20-24 June at Lord’s Cricket Ground. Notably, he excluded Shardul Thakur and Abhimanyu Easwaran from his lineup. India are schduled to play a five-Test series against England, with Shubman Gill as captain and Rishabh Pant as his deputy. ALSO READ | England Invite 6 Feet 4 Inches Tall Pacer For Practice Ahead Of India Test Series When choosing Yashasvi Jaiswal’s opening partner, Uthappa opted for KL Rahul over Abhimanyu Easwaran, citing Rahul’s previous performance in Australia. “For me, I want to start stronger right at the top, and I would want KL Rahul to open there. With the kind of success he has gotten there, with just the way he batted in Australia, and the way he has batted in the past in England augurs well for India to get him to open the batting,” Utappa was quoted as saying by Star Sports. Uthappa selected Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill for the number three and four positions, respectively. “At No. 3, I would love to see someone like Sai Sudharsan because of how technically right he is, and the potential he possesses as what we feel and believe he can do and achieve in Test cricket. No. 4, Shubman Gill for sure,” Uthappa said. As for the middle to lower-middle order, Uthappa explained: “My No. 5 would be Karun Nair because you want a little bit of experience there. No. 6 – Rishabh Pant, I love him at No. 6. I think that’s his sweet spot. At No. 7, I will have Nitish Kumar Reddy because he is a proper fast-bowling all-rounder, your fourth fast-bowling option” For the spin options, Uthappa preferred Ravindra Jadeja over Kuldeep Yadav, highlighting Jadeja’s batting capabilities in English conditions. “I will have Jadeja. Again, increased depth, scores runs, and has scored runs in England as well in Test cricket. So I will have him at No. 8,” he said. “I see Siraj playing that role. Siraj has to be a lot more disciplined, though. One change, you will like to see Prasidh Krishna come in, and Nitish Kumar Reddy again to support the fast bowlers,” Uthappa added. Robin Uthappa’s playing XI for the first Test vs England: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Jasprit Bumrah.