Abhinav Mukund names his best Test XI of 2025, ignores Rishabh Pant

Published - 26 Dec 2025, 13:33 IST | Updated - 26 Dec 2025, 13:33 IST

Former Indian cricketer Abhinav Mukund has named five Indian cricketers in his Test XI for 2025. However, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant did not feature in his setup. The southpaw had scored 629 runs in 13 innings at an average and strike rate of 48.38 and 77.75, respectively.

During a conversation on Star Sports, Mukund went ahead with the right-left duo of KL Rahul and Ben Duckett as his opening batters. At No.3 , he opted for the 2023-25 World Test Championship-winning captain Temba Bavuma. The other two batters comprised Joe Root and Shubman Gill, who as of December 26, remained on third and first place for the number of Test runs scored in 2025.

Ravindra Jadeja was the sole all-rounder in the squad. He had a stellar 2025 in the red-ball arena, scoring an impressive 764 runs and 25 wickets in 10 matches. Other than Mitchell Starc, Alex Carey was the second Australian selected in the XI. Carey, like Duckett and Starc, is playing the ongoing Ashes Down Under. He is leading the charts for the most dismissals by a wicketkeeper by a big margin.

Simon Harmer's 2025 was the most impressive for any bowler in terms of the impact generated. The South African off-spinner impressed with 30 wickets in just four matches. India's first and second-leading wicket-takers in the format in 2025, Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah, completed the squad. Interestingly, there were no players from New Zealand and West Indies, while there was no representation from Zimbabwe and Bangladesh as well.

The year 2025 was an interesting one for Test cricket, as there were several gripping series that ensured that the longest format remained intriguing.

KL Rahul, Ben Duckett, Temba Bavuma (c), Joe Root, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Alex Carey (wk), Simon Harmer, Mitchell Starc, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah