Best combined playing 11 from ENG vs IND 2025 Tests ft. Shubman Gill & Joe Root

India and England treated fans to one of the most thrilling series in Test history over the past two months. The climax was no different, with the final Test at the Oval going down to the wire. India pulled off one of their most memorable wins by six runs to level the five-match series at 2-2.

It was their first Test series following the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and the young Indian players celebrated wildly after sealing the Oval victory by the narrowest of margins. The result aside, the England-India 2025 series will be remembered for the numerous players who produced several performances for the ages with bat and ball.

On that note, let us pick a combined England-India playing XI from one of the memorable Test series in recent times.

Openers: KL Rahul & Ben Duckett

There were only three viable options for the openers - KL Rahul, Ben Duckett, and Yashasvi Jaiswal. With the latter's struggles in the middle matches of the five-Test series, Rahul and Duckett get the nod as the two openers.

The veteran Indian opener stood up to some of the most challenging conditions against the new ball, finishing with 532 runs at an average of 53.20, including two centuries and as many half-centuries. Meanwhile, Duckett single-handedly won England the opening Test with a breathtaking 149 and ended the series with 462 runs at an average of 51.33.

Middle-order: Joe Root, Shubman Gill, Harry Brook & Rishabh Pant (wk)

England's talismanic batter Joe Root continued his record-breaking spree after a slow start to the series. The 34-year-old finished as the series' second leading run-scorer with 537 runs at an average of 67.12, including centuries in each of the last three Tests.

Indian skipper Shubman Gill enjoyed a series for the ages with the bat in his first stint as Test captain. Batting at No. 4, the young right-hander scored an incredible 754 runs at an average of over 75 with four centuries, including a 269 in India's second Test win at Edgbaston.

The free-flowing Harry Brook comes in at No. 5 for his several game-changing knocks throughout the series. The generational talent finished with 481 runs at an average of 53.44, including two centuries and as many half-centuries, and a strike rate of over 81.

Wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant was India's answer to Brook, with his 479 runs through four Tests coming at an average of 68.42 and a strike rate of 77.63. The southpaw scored twin centuries in the series opener to become India's all-time leading Test centurion among designated wicketkeepers.

All-rounders: Ben Stokes & Ravindra Jadeja

The two premier all-rounders from both teams, Ben Stokes and Ravindra Jadeja, thrived with bat and ball throughout the series. The England skipper was arguably the best bowler of the series despite missing the final Test, finishing with 17 wickets at an average of 25.23.

Stokes also overcame a slow start with the bat to score a magnificent century in the fourth Test and amass 304 runs at an average of over 43.

Meanwhile, Jadeja was Mr.consistency with the willow for Team India, finishing with 516 runs at an average of 86, including five half-centuries and a century. His left-arm spin-bowling also yielded seven wickets in five games.

Bowlers: Josh Tongue, Mohammed Siraj & Jasprit Bumrah

England's Josh Tongue and India's Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj complete the combined playing XI. The former finished as the second leading wicket-taker in the series with 19 scalps at an average of 29.05, including playing the role of cleaning up the tail to perfection.

Meanwhile, Bumrah was at his usual best in the three Tests he played, finishing with 14 wickets at an average of 26, including two 5-wicket hauls. Finally, the hero of India's series-leveling performance at the Oval, Siraj, was the last man standing in a gruelling Test series.

The pacer finished as the leading wicket-taker with 23 scalps, including a five-wicket haul in the second innings of the final Test. With the hosts needing seven runs to win, Siraj cleaned up Gus Atkinson to lead the celebrations among the Indian players.

Best playing XI from the 2025 ENG vs IND Tests

KL Rahul, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Shubman Gill, Harry Brook, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ben Stokes (c), Ravindra Jadeja, Josh Tongue, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran