India vs England Test Series: India's predicted 16-man squad and starting XI

Lower-middle order: Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya

The choice of the wicketkeeper remains a difficult one, and the management will have to weigh the superior batting ability of Karthik and the superior keeping ability of Saha. Saha is, with little opposition, the best keeper in the world; however, in tough English conditions, considering how much Saha has struggled with the bat on previous overseas assignments, the superior batting ability of Karthik may prevail. Karthik is a genuine batsman, and his presence in the 11 allows the team to strike a great balance and enables them to play six proper batsmen, one seam-bowling all-rounder, and four proper bowlers.

Coming to the seam-bowling all-rounder, Hardik Pandya merits a place in the side with little opposition. The reason he has been groomed for the past two and a half years, and the reason that the Indian team has invested so much in him is because a quality seam bowling all-rounder is worth his weight in gold in overseas conditions. Pandya had a so-so test series in South Africa: he was brilliant in the first match and did not contribute much in the other two. On this tour of England, he will be looking to combine his generally attacking way of playing with some maturity and consistency, the way he has shown in the past few months.