Exclusive: Ravi Shastri names India XI for first Test

The four-match Test series gets underway in Nagpur on Thursday, with India facing a number of intriguing selection dilemmas.

Speaking on his first appearance on The ICC Review, Shastri made a few big calls when asked who he’d pick in India’s XI for all the all-important opening match of the series against Australia, including making the bold claim: "India should win 4-0."

Here’s what the celebrated former India head coach said.

Ravi Shastri’s India XI

'India should look to win 4-0'

Australia’s Test tour of India is their first since 2017, when India won a tight-fought series 2-1.

The two most recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy meetings between these nations have both been held in Australia, with India winning each series 2-1 – in 2018/19 and 2020/21.

And Shastri believes the mindset from India in 2023 should not just be to win the series, but to whitewash the team currently placed one spot above them at the summit of the MRF Tyres ICC Test Rankings.

"India should look to win 4-0, we’re playing at home. I’m brutal. I’ve been to two tours of Australia, I know what’s happened," Shastri told host Sanjana Ganesan on The ICC Review.

"My mindset would be, ‘How can I beat Australia 4-0 if I’m the coach’, which means day one, I want a ball to pitch on leg stump and hit off stump. I want it to rip.

"If someone asks me what kind of pitch? Expect that. If you lose the toss, expect the ball to turn in the first session of play. That’s what I want, and take it from there."

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Kuldeep should start

Shastri says India should opt for the wrist-spin of Kuldeep Yadav to give their bowling attack an extra threat.

"I’d like to see some magic. I’d like to see some Kuldeep Yadav stuff,” he said.

"If you lose the toss on day one, if it’s a good pitch where it’s not turning, the finger spinner is not getting enough, I want a leg-spinner to be able to rip it. Spin it before probably any other spinner in the game."

Jadeja plays and Ashwin is crucial

India have a wealth of options when it comes to spin-bowling all-rounders. But for Shastri the choice is clear.

"(Ravindra) Jadeja comes back into the side, it was always going to be between Jadeja or Axar (Patel). You can play both actually, if you want to strengthen your batting.

"But Ash, for me, is the big card. An in-form (Ravichandran) Ashwin could help India dominate this series. If he is in form, real good form.

"And I’m not saying just with the ball. In these conditions he can play a massive role with the bat also lower down the order. If he’s on fire, I think India will win this series. Easily."

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Which two quicks?

India will be missing strike bowler Jasprit Bumrah for the series. And in his absence, Shastri says there is a clear first-choice fast-bowling pairing to start the first Test.

"From what they have, I would think Mohammed Siraj and Mohammad Shami," he said.

"Umesh (Yadav) bowled well in Bangladesh, but since these two boys have been playing a lot together, they’re match fit, they’re in form (be it) white ball or red ball, they can play. They can start off."

SKY to bat at No.5

One of the major batting selection decisions for India will be who to select in the middle order.

"At number five, Suryakumar (Yadav) will get the position, because there’s no Shreyas (Iyer),” Shastri said.

"There’ll be talk about, 'can (Shubman) Gill bat at five?’ I think you need the right guy for the right number. At five, when you go there, especially if the ball is turning, then you need someone who is good at playing the right shots against spin.

"Surya demands that position. I think it’s straightforward."

KL Rahul vs Shubman Gill

If he does not slot into the middle order, the extraordinary form of Gill in white-ball cricket has nevertheless strengthened the youngster’s claim to start the opening Test against Australia.

And Shastri believes that the decision on Gill’s inclusion should come down to which of he or vice-captain KL Rahul looks in better touch to open the batting.

"Shubman or Rahul depends on the team management, what they think. Obviously, you'd want to go with what you've been doing in the past, but form becomes critical. You know, someone's hitting it real sweet and it's coming out of the centre of the bat. Then, you know, you wake up, and say, ‘listen’," Shastri said.

"I’d have been watching Gill and Rahul very closely in the nets. Very closely. If it’s a hard call; when I see footwork, when I see timing as to who is batting better. If it has to be Shubman ahead of Rahul, so be it. You know, straight. You have to see that. I won’t say that KL Rahul is the vice-captain so he becomes the automatic choice.

"It can happen. It happened once in my tenure when I was a coach in Sri Lanka. There was a series that happened in India, and there were two openers. And, you know, they wanted to persevere with one. I took over and then I just saw the form of Shikhar Dhawan in the nets, and he was red-hot straight after the Champion's Trophy in England. So we picked him and he got 190 in that game, and the rest is history."

The best ‘keeper

The absence of Rishabh Pant will be keenly felt by India, with the wicket-keeper-batter recovering from his serious car accident in December.

And without Pant available, Shastri says the priority for India should be to pick the best keeper available.

"If you know it's definitely going to turn, then I'll go for the best keeper. That’s what the team has to decide. I won't go, ‘who's a better batsman'," Shastri said.

"Here you need a guy who's very good with the gloves, because you've got quality spinners. You've got Ash (Ashwin), you've got Jadeja, you've got Kuldeep. If the ball spins, you need a very good keeper.

"If you look at this Australian line-up, they've got some seasoned campaigners there. You don't want to miss out on a big player at 25 or 30, and he goes to get 130 and makes you pay for it.

"The team management can decide who is keeping the best, who they think, at that moment in time, is the best keeper. But my logic, my thinking, would be that.”