5 players who were unlucky to not be picked in Indian squad for one-off Test against Bangladesh

The Indian squad for the one-off Test against Bangladesh at Hyderabad, scheduled between the 9^th and the 13^th of February was picked on Tuesday. The 16-man squad was on expected lines with only the inclusion of Abhinav Mukund as the third opener in the squad.

His inclusion saw many question as to why he was picked ahead of a Parthiv Patel, who had done very well as a replacement for Wriddhiman Saha and many others who also had equally well as Mukund with the bat in the domestic season.

Here are five players who can consider themselves unlucky to not get a berth:

5.Parthiv Patel

After Wriddhiman Saha was injured before the start of the Mohali Test against England, the team management recalled Gujarat stumper Parthiv Patel to the squad and in the remaining games, made 195 runs at an average of 65 with two half-centuries.

Patel’s glove work in those games were also impressive, as he few errors, both while standing for the quicks as well as for the spinners, displaying good technique while collecting the ball against both kind of bowlers.

Patel also solved the headache of promoting someone like a Cheteshwar Pujara higher up the order as he became the third opener which the team was on the look out in the absence of the regulars and even helped finish things quickly in the game at Mohali.

the 30-year-old will now hope that he gets a berth in the Indian squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy that succeeds this game, if not, then his future as an Indian cricketer will once be under doubt.

4.Priyank Panchal

Another Gujarat batsman features on this list and Priyank Panchal, who had such a stupendous Ranji Trophy season, where he finished as the highest run-getter will be a bit disappointed for not getting picked for the one-off Test.

The right-hander amassed 1310 runs in 10 matches at an average of 87.33 including 5 centuries and was one of the main reasons for Gujarat winning their maiden Ranji trophy title.

Panchal’s exploits, however, have not gone completely unnoticed as he has been picked in the India A squad to take on Bangladesh in the two-day warm-up game at Secundrabad and hopefully, by making another big score in that game, he can further draw the attention of the selection panel.

He will also hope that he finds a buyer in the upcoming IPL auction and a good season could keep him further in the reckoning for a berth in any of the Indian teams.

3.Kuldeep Yadav

The Uttar Pradesh Chinaman bowler will be wondering what he needs to earn a berth into the senior India setup in any of the formats. The 21-year-old, a one-of-a-kind bowler, was extremely impressive for his state side, where he took 35 wickets in 8 matches at an average of 27.42.

Kuldeep also put in a fine performance in the Duleep Trophy, prior to the start of the Ranji season, picking up 17 wickets in 3 games to finish as the highest wicket-taker in the competition.

He gave a further glimpse of his potential during the opening warm-up game, where playing for India A against England, he picked up a five-wicket haul, albeit in a losing cause.

Despite these exploits, however, Kuldeep does not see himself feature in any of the squads and he will now hope he gets a chance in the series against Australia or is picked for the Champions Trophy in England in June.

2.Rishabh Pant

Another Inder-19 cricketer who has had a stupendous Ranji season with the bat. Rishabh Pant has been knocking on the doors for a while and those knocks earned him a place in the T20I squad for the series against England.

In 8 matches for Delhi, Pant amassed 972 runs at an average of 81 and was the leading run-getter for them, ahead of the likes of Gautam Gambhir and others. Impressively, he had smashed a triple hundred against Maharashtra, an indication of the massive appetite for runs that he has.

If there is one area where Pant will still need to put work in, it is the wicket-keeping and in the days to come, if he gives that aspect of his game as much importance as his batting, then there is no reason why he will not be a serious contender when MS Dhoni suffers an injury or is not available for selection.

For now, though, Pant needs to wait for his chance and hopefully he gets a berth in the squad for the series against Australia.

1.Shahbaz Nadeem

One of the big reasons for Jharkhand to make it through to the semifinals of the Ranji Trophy, Shahbaz Nadeem should consider himself unlucky to not find a berth in the 16-man squad.

The left-arm spinner bagged a haul of 56 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 25.60 and was a key performer for his side in their extremely run to the final four stage of the competition.

With India in all probability to pick the trio of Ashwin, Jadeja and Mishra for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Nadeem will hope that a good IPL performance earn him a berth for India’s Champions Trophy side in June.