An enthralling battle awaits with England arriving on Indian shores for a keenly anticipated 5-Test series. With India currently on top of the Test rankings and eager toextract retribution for their ignominious defeats at the hands of England during the previous three series. Expect spin, spin and more spin to capture the headlines in the coming weeks.
Though the core of their playing eleven automatically pick themselves, there are still quite a few slots up for grabs in the squad which is expected to be named shortly. Among the points of discussion could be the fitness state of KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar while Ishant Sharma seems to be up and running after sending down plenty of overs for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy.
Here are five players who can step in for any injured names by deserving selection into the squad for a combination of reasons.
#5 – Jayant Yadav
A rare good old classical off-spinner in the days of limited-overs razzmatazz, Jayant could also offer a solid back-up option for the all rounder’s slot. The 26-year old made his ODI debut on a raging turner against the Kiwis at Vizag and picked up a wicket in the process. Pertinently, he was also included in the Test squad for the last two matches of the New Zealand series.
Even though the Haryana bowler did not get an opportunity as India's spin stocks are filled to the brim, he might once again find himself in the squad should the selectors opt for a second off-spinner.
#4 – Abhinav Mukund
A prolific run-getter in the domestic circuit for Tamil Nadu, Abhinav Mukund is no stranger to the rigors of top level cricket. He had debuted in Tests against West Indies during the 2011 season and showed glimpses of his potential against a strong England bowling attack at the iconic Lord’s stadium. Playing his inaugural match on English soil which should be a daunting prospect for any subcontinental batsman, the left-hander chipped in with a 88-ball 49 in the first-innings.
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However, he fell apart during the remaining three innings from the first couple of Tests and the emergence of the dependable Murali Vijay as well as Shikhar Dhawan to a certain extent pushed him to the fringes. The southpaw was highly impressive in the Duleep Trophy aside from starting the ongoing Ranji Trophy on a stellar note which might just be enough to propel him into contention.
#3 – Kuldeep Yadav
A left-arm wrist spinner or ‘chinaman’ specialist is a rare commodity in Test cricket, more so for India. However, the Asian giants now have an extremely promising cricketer in 21-year old Kuldeep Yadav. Interestingly, the Uttar Pradesh bowler initially tried to become a fast bowler until his coach intervened and forced him to take up the particularly exotic skill set.
He was a rising star with as many as 48 wickets from 24 U-19 ODIs at an average of 16.27 and strike-rate of 25. Having been a part of the senior ODI squad for the 2014 home series against West Indies, Kuldeep may turn out to be an useful understudy to the more experienced spinners during the England Tests.
#2 – Gautam Gambhir
Among the ‘veterans’ of Indian cricket, Gautam Gambhir earned a recall against New Zealand in the third Test at Indore and contributed 79 runs across both innings including a fifty in the second dig. The 35-year old is still one of the most accomplished batsmen against the turning ball which should hold him in good stead for a series likely to feature spin-friendly pitches.
Also Read: The rise, fall and resurrection of Gautam Gambhir
He did struggle badly when confronted by the new-ball duo of Stuart Broad and James Anderson during the 2014 series in England. But, with conditions drastically different and Anderson under injury cloud, Gambhir might prove to be a handy batsman at the top of the order if Rahul or Dhawan do not recover from their injuries in time.
#1 – Karun Nair
Karun Nair had received his maiden call-up to the Indian squad for the third Test against Sri Lanka at Colombo (SSC) last year. Having not been able to break into the playing eleven then, the right-hander underwent a similar routine ahead of the third Test against New Zealand at Indore. In the intervening period, he played a couple of ODIs in Zimbabwe and scored 46 runs.
Even though the Karnataka batsman’s wait for a Test debut might be extended further, he does stand a good chance of making it to the squad with his compactness and decisive stroke-play giving him an advantage over the other contenders.
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