3 Indian players for whom the England Test series is make or break

Less than a month after their historic series win Down Under, the Indian cricket team takes on Joe Root's England at home. The hosts need to win the series by a two-Test margin to qualify for the final of the ICC World Test Championship, which is scheduled to be held this summer at Lord's.

India have named a strong squad for the series despite injuries to key players like Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami. Captain Virat Kohli and all-rounder Hardik Pandya return to the squad, which is a perfect blend of experience and youth.

The pressure that comes with playing for India cannot be understated, and these 3 players are under the pump ahead of the 4-Test series against England.

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#3 Mayank Agarwal

Mayank Agarwal

Mayank Agarwal has a stellar home record and has taken up any task the Indian team has given him since he made his Test debut on the 2018/19 tour of Australia. However, failures in the away tours of New Zealand and Australia over the last year have left him grasping at straws to keep himself in the XI.

Agarwal's technique has noticeably changed recently - his trigger is now more pronounced, and his backlift seems to be a few inches higher. As a result, the incoming delivery, especially against left-armers, has found him wanting on numerous occasions.

Agarwal has been displaced by young Shubman Gill, who is a complete package and looks more assured at the crease. The 29-year-old might not get a chance in the upcoming England series, but if he does, a failure or two could result in the end of his Test career.

It would be extremely harsh on Agarwal, who is bound to go through a rough patch like any other batsman. But we've seen stranger calls made by the Indian selectors in the past.

On the other hand, if he does well, Agarwal will reopen the doors to becoming a permanent fixture in the XI. He was used in the middle order for the 4th Test against Australia, and India might attempt to fit both him and Gill in the team by moving one of them down.

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#2 Wriddhiman Saha

Wriddhiman Saha

After Rishabh Pant's heroics in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Wriddhiman Saha is no more the first-choice keeper, even in home conditions.

The biggest reason behind this is his poor batting form - he has played a lot of careless shots to get out, and the word 'intent' has been thrown around like it often is. But another contributing factor is his age. At 36, Saha isn't getting any younger and has already fallen victim to a plethora of hamstring injuries in the recent past.

There are rumours doing the rounds that Saha might play in the upcoming series, with Pant being used as a specialist batsman. If that happens, the Bengal gloveman will have the perfect platform to make his worth to the team known.

With attacking batsmen like Pant around him, Saha can play his natural game and concentrate on his wicket-keeping, which is frankly the only thing keeping him in the team. On the flip side, if he fails again with the bat (or with the gloves, for that matter), he will find the doors to the Indian team shut in an instant.

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#1 Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav

The definition of make or break, Kuldeep Yadav's career is at a crossroads ahead of the 4-Test series. An injury to Ravindra Jadeja has meant that he will be India's second-choice spinner after Ravichandran Ashwin, and this has been confirmed by bowling coach Bharat Arun.

Kuldeep hasn't played a Test for India since 2018, and in the few games he has featured in for the country, he has been impressive. The extra dimension he adds to the attack and his wicket-taking ability are undoubtedly precious assets that India will want to make use of for a long time.

But Kuldeep hasn't developed in the way the Indian team management would've liked him to under captain Virat Kohli. His confidence has been down since a disappointing 2019 season, and he finds himself out of the picture in the limited-overs formats.

Kuldeep will get the perfect chance to make an impression on the dustbowls Chennai and Ahmedabad are predicted to be. However, he is under immense pressure, and a poor outing or two might see him relegated to domestic cricket and 'A' tours.