4 Indian players who might not feature in the playing eleven for the first test

The Virat Kohli-led Indian team will take on hosts England in a gruelling five-match Test series beginning on August 1 at Edgbaston, Birmingham. India won the three-match T20 series 2-1 earlier this month with a brilliant display of batting and exceptional spells from the young Kuldeep Yadav.

However, they could not hold onto their lead in the ODIs as they lost the second and third ODIs against the hosts to be defeated 1-2 in the three-match series.

Eoin Morgan, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Plunkett and Adil Rashid were the chief tormentors for England.

The Test match though is a different ball game and with the Indian squad for the first three test matches announced, let us look at four players who might be left out of the playing eleven. The squad has depth and a large pool of quality players. Hence, some talented players might just have to sit out during the tests.

Team India's squad: Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, M Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-capt), Karun Nair, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur

Note: Jasprit Bumrah will be unavailable for selection in the first test

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#1 Kuldeep Yadav (spinner)

Kuldeep Yadav was arguably the best bowler during the limited overs series against England recently

Kuldeep Yadav was arguably India's best bowler during the limited overs series against England recently. With nine wickets in three ODIs and five wickets in two T20Is, he was the prime wicket-taker for the Men in Blue against the host side comprising of quality batsmen like Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Eoin Morgan.

The left-arm chinaman bowler, who made his Test debut against Australia in March 2017 was last seen in the whites for India back in August last year against Sri Lanka.

With the presence of vastly experienced Ravindra Jadeja in the Test squad, Kuldeep's spot in the eleven is highly uncertain.

The much-awaited Ashwin-Jadeja combo will be in action, which means Kuldeep might have to sit out for the Test matches starting on August 1 at Edgbaston.

The prospect of Jadeja being a vital lower middle-order batsman and a highly talented left-arm spinner means Kuldeep will most likely be left out of the eleven.

Kuldeep, who has played 23 ODIs and 12 T20Is for the Men in Blue has represented Team India in just two Test matches so far with nine wickets to his name.

2) Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper)

Rishabh Pant

Wriddhiman Saha who sustained a hamstring injury during the South Africa tour earlier this year, missed the entire series after playing just one game at Cape Town. Though he had recovered from the injury, he hurt his thumb during the 2018 IPL while playing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Injury continued to hamper his participation against the visiting Afghanistan team for one off test match. Dinesh Karthik donned the gloves in his absence. The current situation being no different, a young Rishabh Pant has selected for the England Test series as a second choice wicket-keeper with Dinesh Karthik as prime stumper.

Pant, who has played just four T20I matches for Team India is yet to play a Test match for India. It is highly unlikely that the youngster will make it to the eleven given Dinesh Karthik's experience in the challenging English conditions. It is to be remembered that he was a standout performer in India's 1-0 victory in test series back in 2007. Nevertheless, it is a dream selection for Pant who was simply sensational in the recently concluded IPL.

3) Shardul Thakur (Pacer)

Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur, who has so far played seven T20s and four ODIs for the Men in Blue was instrumental in Chennai Super Kings' title win at this year's IPL with 16 wickets in 13 matches. But, the lanky pacer from Maharashtra is yet to play a red-ball game for Team India.

Though he was present in the Indian squad for the historic one-off test against Afghanistan at Bengaluru last month, he did not break into the playing eleven. Thakur, who was a part of the India's ODI squad against England, played the third and final game of the series at Headingley, Leeds in which he scored 22*(13) and finished with figures of 1/51.

The return of pacer Mohammad Shami might hinder his chances of getting into the eleven. With three front line pacers (Umesh Yadav, Shami and Ishant Sharma) and all-rounder Hardik Pandya already in the squad, Thakur might be confined to the bench.

4) Karun Nair (Batsman)

Karun Nair

The second Indian to score a triple ton in Tests, Karun Nair made his Test debut for India against England in November 2016. Nair, who has played six tests and two ODIs for Team India was part of the squad that played against Afghanistan in Bengaluru.

With Cheteshwar Pujara, who knows the English conditions very well and the solid Ajinkya Rahane (who captained India in Kohli's absence in the squad), it is highly unlikely that Karun will get in the playing eleven.

Karun's lack of Test match exposure (outside India) and Pujara's county stints might not augur well for the Karnataka batsman who is expected to sit out for the tests against England.