5 Indian players for whom England tour is crucial

Performance on overseas tours certainly speaks volumes about a cricketer's mettle. While doing well on home turf is by no means a lesser feat, it is the player's temperament and skill in the foreign conditions that generally make him stand apart from the rest.

The likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Kumar Sangakkara, Zaheer Khan, and Muttiah Muralitharan rose to the ranks of legendary cricketers by conquering the overseas demons as well.

Drawing inspiration from such great cricketers, many fledgling players aim to make a mark for themselves overseas, be it with the junior or national squads.

India's upcoming tour of England comes at a crucial juncture to many players and their performance here could either make or break their careers, for English conditions are considered to be one of the toughest tests for a subcontinent player.

Here are 5 such Indian cricketers who need to bring their best game to the fore to stay in the good books of both, fans and the national selectors.

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#5 Siddarth Kaul

Kaul has been a vital cog in Sunrisers Hyderabad's IPL juggernaut

Siddarth Kaul has been one of the major revelations of IPL 2018. The man from Punjab has impressed one and all with his skill with the ball and is playing a crucial role in formulating a successful campaign for Sunrisers Hyderabad this year. With 13 wickets and an economy rate of 7.05 from 10 games thus far, Kaul has emerged as a force to reckon with.

The right-arm pacer's heroics in the tournament have earned him a national call-up to England. While playing in a pace friendly environment would certainly be of help to him, facing the likes of Jos Buttler, Eoin Morgan and Joe Root on their home turf, is by no means an easy task for any bowler.

Even though Kaul is expected to play second fiddle to the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, and Umesh Yadav, the SRH bowler would be itching to make an impression when presented with an opportunity. A few praiseworthy outings would do him no harm given the tough competition that currently exists to bag a berth in the Indian pace contingent.

#4 Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik would hope to continue his good form in England as well

Dinesh Karthik has witnessed constant ups and downs in his career with inconsistency and lack of opportunities playing the spoilsport in his case. However, the past few months have been quite exciting for the wicketkeeper-batsman.

From clinching a last over thriller against Bangladesh to playing some breezy knocks for KKR, Karthik looks to be in sublime touch. As a gifted batsman who could make crucial contributions to the team, Karthik would be itching to extend his purple patch on England tour as well.

With age certainly not on his side, the man from Tamil Nadu faces stiff competition from a couple of youngsters for a place in the middle order. Karthik, who would presumably bat at No 6 in both ODIs and T20s, will be raring to make an impression on the selectors.

Also, given his decent record in England, the upcoming tour could just prove to be the catalyst in cementing his spot in India's limited overs squad.

#3 Manish Pandey

Manish Pandey has been off-colour in IPL 2018 thus far

Ever since he scored a sparkling century in Australia to hand over India a famous victory, Manish Pandey has been one of India's biggest prospects in the past few years. However, the man from Karnataka has failed to seize his opportunities on multiple occasions and as a result, has relegated into an irregular feature of India's limited overs squad.

Given his current run in the ongoing IPL, Manish Pandey will certainly have to tie up his shoelaces to justify the selectors' faith in him.

Having been selected in the T20 squad that would face England shortly, Pandey, with a few blistering knocks in South Africa at his back, is perfectly capable of playing some big knocks and turn himself into a vital feature of the team. Also, impressive outings in the T20 outfit could soon earn him a call-up to the ODI squad as well.

#2 Ambati Rayudu

Ambati Rayudu has been on song in this year's IPL

A dream run in the current season of IPL helped Ambati Rayudu earn a comeback into the 50-over squad for India's tour of England in July.

With 423 runs at a staggering average of 42.30 in 10 games, Rayudu has been one of the main features of Chennai Super Kings' run this year. In addition to scoring runs consistently, he has been showcasing an all-new dimension of his flamboyance in the eleventh edition of IPL.

Making a comeback after two years, England tour might well be the gamechanger for the 32-year-old. A solid batsman who possesses the technique to play in foreign conditions, Rayudu can provide the much-needed impetus to the Indian middle order.

While exceptional performances in the seam-friendly conditions of England could keep him in the reckoning for the future as well, a few poor outings might turn disastrous for his career, given the cut-throat competition in the current Indian squad.

#1 Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina will have to play a critical role in India's middle order

Suresh Raina hasn't had quite a glorious IPL season this year. With 261 runs in 9 games, the man from Uttar Pradesh has shown glimpses of his past-self. However, he continues to remain one of Chennai Super Kings' batting mainstays and the team from down South will be hoping he finds his feet soon and propels them to the further stages of the tournament.

Similarly, the national team too would be hoping Raina gets into the groove and gets back to his sublime best when they lock horns with England in the T20 format this July. When in full flow, the southpaw is hard to stop and could easily snatch the game away from the opposition.

However, with the scratchy tours of Sri Lanka and South Africa at his back, the 31-year-old will have to score some big runs in order to keep featuring in the Indian squad for the limited overs. Also, given his limitations against the short ball, Raina will have his task cut out on the upcoming tour which holds high prominence in his career.