India is set to play England in the fourth Test of the series in Manchester from Wednesday, July 23.
With a considerable break between the third and the fourth Test, the Indian team made use of their free time in Manchester, visiting the Manchester United training facilities.
As it is widely known, the Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir is a big Marcus Rashford and Manchester United fan, while some other players are also among football followers.
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Interestingly, India's visit to the Red Devils' facilities sparked a conversation among English Pundits and Ravi Shastri about India's possible line-up for a football match.
What is the Indian cricket team's best football XI?
During Ravi Shastri's visit to Stick to Cricket podcast, Michael Vaughan asked the panel how the Indian cricket team would line up for a football match.
While building a 4-4-2 formation lineup, Phil Tufnell compared Ravindra Jadeja to the United legend, Ryan Giggs.
The likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill were compared to Lionel Messi and Chelsea striker Liam Delap, respectively. Rishabh Pant was compared to United full-back Luke Shaw for their similar stocky physical build
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Coach Gautam Gambhir was picked as a striker to partner Gill and ace speedster Jasprit Bumrah made it to the goalkeeping position for his long reach.
Here's how their India line-up looks:
- Goalkeeper: Jasprit Bumrah.
- Defenders: Nitish Kumar Reddy (RB), Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna (CBs), Rishabh Pant (LB).
- Midfielders: KL Rahul (CDM), Ravindra Jadeja (LCM), Karun Nair (RCM), Yashasvi Jaiswal (CAM).
- Strikers: Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir.
When do India and England play next?
The next Test match of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy will be played from July 23 to 27 in Manchester. England currently edge the series with a 2-1 lead.
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The young Indian side has performed well in the series and will look to bounce back after a heartbreaking 22-run loss at Lord's to level the series.