ENG vs IND 2021 - 3 Indian players from the current squad who are unlikely to play a single Test against England

Well before the start of India's five-match Test series against England, there have been quite a few changes in the visitors' camp, primarily due to injuries.

Washington Sundar (finger), Shubman Gill (shin splints) and Avesh Khan (left thumb fracture) have been ruled out for the entire tour of England. They have been replaced by Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav. The Mumbai duo will only be available for selection from the third Test due to isolation protocols.

The first Test saw some changes with KL Rahul replacing Mayank Agarwal in the playing XI in the top order. The latter was ruled out after being hit on the head by a Mohammed Siraj delivery during practice.

India has benched Ravichandran Ashwin in favor of Shardul Thakur for the first Test, owing to the seaming conditions in England. As the series progresses, we might get to see more squad players get a look into the starting XI.

However, not all of them are likely to make the cut. Here are three players who we believe are unlikely to get a spot in the starting XI for India.

#3 Wriddhiman Saha

He is currently India’s number most-experienced wicket-keeper in the squad and is a top athlete as well. His impeccable glove work has earned him the nickname "The Flying Saha".

However, the 36-year old’s batting has been nowhere near the standards expected in international cricket. In his last 11 Tests, he has not crossed scores of 30 and averages a meager 15.50.

Sometimes even flying doesn't save you from Saha's gloves. Have a great birthday, @wriddhipops. 😉 pic.twitter.com/8oDkubGFdZ

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) October 24, 2018

On the other hand, India’s first-choice keeper Rishabh Pant has been in stellar form with the bat sans the World Test Championship (WTC) final. He was India’s highest run-scorer in their victorious Test series in Australia with 274 runs in five innings at an average of 68.50.

Pant recorded smashing centuries in his last outings against England in India – 101(118) and 114(146). Unless there is an injury concern for Rishabh Pant, it will be very tough for Wriddhiman Saha to get a game in this series.

#2 Umesh Yadav

Umesh Yadav has been a regular member of the Indian Test squad for quite some time now. However, he has not been amongst the first-choice pacers for captain Kohli. The last time he played was against Australia in 2020 and it was an unfortunate outing for him. Yadav broke down in the second innings due to an injury after bowling only 3.3 overs.

Umesh Yadav complained of pain in his calf while bowling his 4th over and was assessed by the BCCI medical team. He is being taken for scans now. #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/SpBWAOEu1x

— BCCI (@BCCI) December 28, 2020

Interestingly, he is one of the rare Indian bowlers who has better numbers when playing in India than in away conditions. His bowling average of 24.52 at home is much better than his away average of 41.63. In his last 19 innings, he has only taken 3 or more wickets once - the 40/3 against Australia in Adelaide 2020.

Yadav faces stiff competition from his fellow pacers to make the cut into the first team. The Indian pace contingent has the likes of Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, and Shardul Thakur. He may be the last option the Indian think-tank would resort to at the moment.

#1 Abhimanyu Easwaran

The 25-year old opener from Bengal was initially selected in the touring party as a stand-by player. He got his maiden national call-up after Shubman Gill was injured and his replacement Prithvi Shaw was unable to make it on time for the start of the series.

Great to have you back gents 😊#TeamIndia bowling coach B.Arun, @Wriddhipops and Abhimanyu Easwaran have joined the team in Durham. pic.twitter.com/VdXFE4aoK0

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 24, 2021

The Bengal opener had a poor Ranji Trophy season (2019/20). He scored only 258 runs in 10 games at an average of 17.20, recording only one 50+ score.

Other opening options for India are Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal (unavailable for the first Test) and Prithvi Shaw (unavailable for the first two Tests). These four openers will be first-choice options and only a major injury crisis for these four batsmen might hand Easwaran an India debut on this tour.