England vs India 2018: How will India's Test squad look like

The five-match Test series between England and India that will get underway at Edgbaston, Birmingham on August 1 is one of the most anticipated series of the year as two heavyweights take on each other to prove their supremacy in the format.

India go into the series seeking revenge for what happened in 2011 and 2014 as India were beaten 4-0 and 3-1. Unlike the previous tours of England, the current Indian team look good and this is a good chance for Virat Kohli and his men to create history by beating the Poms at their own backyard.

If the team management manage to pick the right combination, something they failed to do in South Africa, then there are more chances of bringing the Investec Trophy to India. There are a lot of selection dilemmas during the series as they will be mulling several options, thanks to the talent pool they have at the moment.

The Indian selectors are yet to announce the squad for the Test series and it can be expected anytime soon. Let us take a look at how India's 17-member squad to face England will look like.

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Openers - Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, KL Rahul

India vs Australia Dharamsala Test 2017

Opening is one area that is very predictable when it comes to picking the right men to do the job for India in Tests as they will having as many as three batsmen who are competing for the two openers' slot in the side. It is certain that Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, and Shikhar Dhawan will find a place in the Indian Test squad for the England series.

Test specialist Vijay, who has been very crucial for India in Tests away from home, should ideally be the first-choice opener in the format and his place in the Test XI is still under the cloud as he is facing some stiff competition from in-form Rahul and swashbuckling Dhawan.

Both Rahul and Dhawan have been doing really well for India irrespective of the format of late and it will be unfair to leave one of these two batsmen out. In fact, it will be unfair to leave out these three batsmen out of the XI but unfortunately, the team management can pick only two openers.

Middle-order - Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Karun Nair

Cheteshwar Pujara, who has been sweating it out in the County Championships for Yorkshire is a certainty in the squad but his place in the XI is yet to be sealed as he has been going through a tough time with the bat in his county stint. To make things worse for him, KL Rahul has looked good of late.

Skipper Virat Kohli and his deputy Ajinkya Rahane are certainties to be in the squad for the Tests. India will be tempted to take an extra middle-order batsman to England in spite of having KL Rahul, who batted in the middle order against Afghanistan.

If the selectors decide to go for an extra middle-order batsman, then both Karun Nair and Rohit Sharma are likely to get the nod. If they feel that just one back-up is enough, which I feel will be the case, Karun might just have an upper hand over Rohit, who was not included in the squad to face Afghanistan.

Wicketkeepers - Wriddhiman Saha and Dinesh Karthik

It is no secret that India have the habit of naming two wicketkeepers for overseas tours as there won't be any need for hitting the panic button when such a situation arises. The wicketkeepers for the England tour could be Dinesh Karthik and Wriddhiman Saha.

Saha is easily the best Test wicketkeeper in the world over the last one year as he has been neat behind the stumps and hardly made any errors. He was India's first-choice Test wicketkeeper till the South Africa tour before he missed the final Test against the Proteas and the one-off Test against Afghans due to an injury.

Dinesh Karthik's recent form with the bat will make a strong case for him for a place in the playing XI. But, one thing is clear, both DK and Saha are likely to be named in the squad for the England tour.

All-rounder - Hardik Pandya

Over the years, India have always yearned for an all-rounder who can contribute with both bat and ball. They had quite a few spin-bowling all-rounders making a mark but the fast-bowling all-rounders came onto the scene and went away in quick time.

A fast-bowling all-rounder is a big asset to have in England and India should be lucky to have the services of Hardik Pandya. Hardik has shown that he is capable of succeeding in the format by playing a few good knocks. He will give skipper Kohli an option of a fifth bowler when all his frontline bowlers need some rest.

Spinners - R Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav

One of the main reasons for India's dominance in Tests over the last four years is the presence of spin twins R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who have always taken the game away from the opposition with ease.

One might think that the duo will feature in the squad for England tour but the emergence of Kuldeep Yadav and the England batsmen's struggle against wrist spinners has put the Chinaman in contention for a place in the side.

Ashwin is a certainty in the squad and it won't be surprising if Kuldeep gets the nod ahead of Jadeja in the Test team.

Fast bowlers - Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami

Without a doubt, India will be touring England with the best fast bowling attack the team has had in a while. The Indian pacers showed what they are capable of when the conditions assist them when they toured South Africa earlier this year.

They will look to repeat it again when they take the field against England next month. Bhuvneshwar Kumar will lead the pace attack that has veteran pacer Ishant Sharma, who has been lethal for Sussex, India's most improved bowler in the last two years, Umesh Yadav, wrecker-in-chief, Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah, who impressed everyone in South Africa.

Bumrah underwent a finger surgery last week and is expected to be fit in time by the time the first Test gets underway. If he fails to recover, Shardul Thakur might get a look-in.