4 Indian players for whom the Test series against England is very crucial

Ever since Virat Kohli took over the reigns of the Indian Test team in January 2015, frequent changes in the team combination have become a usual thing. The fact that Virat has never opted for the same team in two consecutive Test matches since the time he took over as India's captain is a clear indication of the fact that the Indian captain does not hesitate to make changes if he believes that they are for the benefit of the team.

The 18 member squad for the first 3 Test matches of the series against England has been announced by the selectors. Rishabh Pant, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, and Karun Nair have made it to the team whereas the Indian ODI and T20I vice-captain, Rohit Sharma, has been dropped.

By dropping Rohit Sharma from the Test team, a clear message has been sent by the selectors that they will not hesitate from making bold calls for the benefit of the team. Fair enough to say, the prevailing cut-throat competition has increased the pressure of performance upon the players. A handful of poor performances and questions over a player's place in the side are raised.

Going into the series against England, some players might have already started feeling the heat. The team management has created an atmosphere where a player can hold his place in the side only if he performs, no matter who he is. Playing against the likes of James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Joe Root, and Alastair Cook will not be easy and to defeat them, India will have to play quality cricket.

Here we look a 4 such players for whom the upcoming Test series is going to be extremely crucial.

Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan

More often than not, the 32-year-old is always the first one to be made the scapegoat overseas. The most recent example of this is the tour of South Africa earlier this year where everyone failed to score in the first Test at Cape Town but only he had to pay the price for it.

Not only the recent South Africa tour but previously he has been dropped midway in the tours of Australia, England, and Windies. The team management has always been hesitant to carry on with him throughout the series outside Asia. His troubles against the short ball have persisted and an average of below 30 outside Asia definitely does not adhere to the standards he has set for himself.

The upcoming series is very crucial in determining his future in red ball cricket. With his opening partner in ODIs, Rohit Sharma, already sidelined from the Test team, he is well aware of the fact that he needs to perform in order to remain in the Test team. Also, he would want to avoid a situation where he is shown the door from the playing XI just after initial few Test matches.

However, the team management must ensure that he gets a sense of security at least for a handful of Test matches. If he is shown the door before being given enough chances to prove himself, it would be a tough pill for him to swallow. Fair enough to say, this series is extremely crucial in deciding whether he will continue to represent India in the whites or not.

Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane

Rahane has been arguably India's most consistent batsman in the overseas conditions. It may sound awkward but the fact is that the career graph of the vice-captain of the Indian test team hasn't been quite smooth over the past couple of months.

The 30-year-old batsman has probably been through the worst of his form in the home series against Sri Lanka. He could manage just 34 runs in 6 innings, something that is not often seen from a high-quality player like him. His poor form in the home series against Sri Lanka last year led to him being dropped from the XI in favor of Rohit Sharma for the first two Test matches against South Africa.

Rahane is considered to be an overseas specialist. A batting average of 52.1 overseas also justifies the tag. But, he has not been in the best of his form in the previous home season. He averages 32.9 in the Test matches played at home, which definitely does not adhere to his standards as a batsman.

If he does not manage to get runs in the upcoming test series against England, he will have to face the threat of being dropped from the side. Therefore, the Indian Test team's vice-captain cannot neglect the importance of this series in deciding his future in Test cricket.

Cheteshwar Pujara

Cheteshwar Pujara was brilliant in the previous home season

He has been probably India's most consistent batsman at home. Considered to be a Test specialist, he averages over 50 in Test matches. But his numbers away from home aren't so great. He averages just 35.25 away from home.

In the recent tour of South Africa, he could manage to score just 100 runs from 6 innings at an average of just 16.66. And more recently, he had a disastrous county season, where he scored just 172 runs in 6 FC games at an averaging below 15. These numbers would definitely not give him too much confidence going into the series against England.

The 30-year-old batsman must be well aware of the importance of performing consistently in order to stay in Kohli's team. Being an experienced player, especially in the English conditions, he would definitely look to use his experience and score runs for his team. If he fails to perform well in overseas yet again, he must be ready to face consequences. The upcoming series will play a crucial role in deciding his future in the Test team.

Karun Nair

Karun Nair

He made headlines with his historic triple hundred against England in December 2016 but was sidelined after the home series against Australia in 2017. Now, after more than 12 months, he has earned a recall into the test team riding on the back of some impressive performances for Karnataka and India A.

However, it is unlikely that he will be in the starting XI, but an opportunity may come his way in the later part of the series. No doubt, this series is a golden opportunity for Nair to prove himself again, but he would definitely be well aware of the challenges in his way. He knows the importance of performing consistently given the fact that he was dropped after some poor performances in the home series against Australia despite getting a triple hundred in the previous series he played.

Having played 3 four day games for India A in England just before the series, he might have got an idea of the English conditions, which could be seen as an added advantage. With a solid bench strength already there, he is well aware of the fact that if he fails to make the most of the opportunities he gets, he might get dropped again.