When Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket ahead of the England series, the biggest question facing Team India was — who will open the innings now? With the five-match Test series starting from June 20, India seems to have found its new opening combination.

Rahul-Jaiswal Likely to Open

Team India is currently preparing for the England series with a couple of practice matches. In the second warm-up game, KL Rahul was seen opening the innings alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. This pairing strongly suggests that the team management is looking to field Rahul and Jaiswal as the opening duo in the Test series.

Earlier, in the first practice match, Jaiswal opened with India A captain Abhimanyu Easwaran. However, Rahul, who wasn’t part of the India A squad, had already joined the senior team in England and was included in the second warm-up match. He made a strong case for himself by scoring a solid half-century while opening the innings.

KL Rahul is no stranger to opening in Test cricket. During the last Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, Rahul opened in two of the five Tests alongside Jaiswal. Rohit Sharma had missed the first Test and opted out of the final one, providing Rahul the opportunity — and he delivered with impactful performances.

Given his experience, technique, and recent form, Rahul’s presence at the top of the order provides much-needed stability in challenging English conditions.

Match 1: June 20–24, 2025, Headingley, Leeds – 3:30 PM IST

Match 2: July 2–6, 2025, Edgbaston, Birmingham – 3:30 PM IST

Match 3: July 10–14, 2025, Lord’s, London – 3:30 PM IST

Match 4: July 23–27, 2025, Old Trafford, Manchester – 3:30 PM IST

Match 5: July 30–August 4, 2025, The Oval, London – 3:30 PM IST