3 Indian cricketers who should not have been picked for the Test series against England

The Indian cricket team began their English summer on a great note by demolishing the Irishmen, and the bigger fish, the Three Lions in the T20I series. They managed to carry their form into the ODI series with a comprehensive victory in the first game, but things changed drastically thereafter.

The hosts have made a superb comeback and the Indian team finds numerous questions and endless criticism being hurled at them, even the demand of MS Dhoni's retirement.

The series is perfectly placed in equilibrium as the visitors have now turned their focus to the Test series. BCCI have released the team list for the first three Tests and it has received mixed responses, some praising them for their meticulous planning while others bashing them for favouritism. Though the team looks pretty balanced on paper, a few selections are bound to raise some eyebrows.

Let us have a look at three cricketers who should not have been selected for the series:

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#3 Umesh Yadav

Umesh Yadav has got more than enough chances

How many chances will Umesh Yadav need to nail his position in the Indian team? With his staggering pace, he always poses a threat but somehow has not been able to utilize his talent to the fullest. In Jasprit Bumrah's absence, India had to deal with pace issues as Umesh could not deliver what was expected of him.

He is having a tough time in England. In the T20I series, although he picked up 5 wickets in 3 games, Umesh leaked runs at an economy rate of nearly 9 runs per over. His wickets figure took a dip in the ODI series with just 3 wickets in 2 games, having conceded runs at an economy rate of nearly 7 runs per over. His Test figures are not brilliant either, and with Bhuvneshwar Kumar ruled out of the first three Tests, Yadav will need to up his game big time.

#2 Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan is not a perfect fit for Tests in tough conditions

The swashbuckling left-handed opener of the Indian team finds it difficult to get things going in the longest format of the game. His struggle intensifies when conditions are not to the liking of the Asian cricketers. This can be easily testified by looking at his career averages and that in challenging pitches.

Dhawan has an impressive average of over 40 in Test cricket but has failed to recreate that in pace-friendly tracks. Against Australia, his average dropped down below 30, whereas that figure touches 20 in England. In South Africa, it is around 18, which clearly shows his struggle in those kinds of conditions. He has a pretty bad T20I series but made some sort of a comeback in the ODIs with a smashing 88*, but time will tell whether it was a good decision to have him in the team.

#1 Hardik Pandya

This Test series is a litmus test for Hardik Pandya

The name in the squad that has sparked a debate in the cricketing fraternity is the ever so flamboyant Hardik Pandya. While there is not much of a doubt regarding his abilities, many have questioned his selection in a Test squad, that too in challenging conditions. In the Test series against South Africa, Pandya amassed 119 runs at an average of less than 20. His bowling figures were not impressive either, with just 3 wickets in as many matches.

He had a decent T20I series against England, but his form took a U-turn again in the ODI series, in which he picked up just a solitary wicket in 3 games and scored only 42 runs at an average of 21. Many are saying that this might be Pandya's last chance to prove himself in Tests, and given his lukewarm form, it will be interesting to see how he handles the challenge.