England vs India: 4 Players who will be playing Test matches in England for the first time

India has finally announced the squad for the Test matches against England. Interestingly, India has announced an 18 member squad for the first 3 matches. This is against the usual trend of selecting 15-16 players for an overseas assignment.

18 is a huge number considering that the squad has been picked only for the first three encounters. The squad is more or less on the expected lines with a few surprises. Rohit Sharma has been dropped once again. He was a neglected for the lone test match against Afghanistan as well. Kuldeep Yadav who wasn’t a part of the South Africa Test series, has been been rewarded with a call up for his limited overs exploits.

Wriddhiman Saha is set to miss the series as he is nursing a finger injury picked up during IPL. Bhuvneshwar Kumar too isn’t available for the first three Test Matches. Jasprit Bumrah will be available for selection from the second Test match onwards. Overall, India will miss the services of their two frontline fast bowlers in the first Test.

Most of the players have toured England in 2014 but there are a few players who will be playing test matches in England for the first time. The onus will be on these players to step up and get used to the conditions pretty quickly. Let us have a look at 4 such players who will be plying their trade on English shores for the first time:

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4. Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya has a Test Century to his name

When India toured England in 2014, Stuart Binny was India’s seam-bowling all-rounder. But this time India has gone in with Hardik Pandya. He was a part of the playing XI in each of the three Test matches in South Africa.

He was brilliant in the first Test match, but later on looked a bit out of sorts. He went wicket-less in the last two matches and didn’t score much with the bat as well. He is an important part of the team management's plan as he has been picked as the lone fast bowling all-rounder in the team.

With Bhuvi not available for the first three fixtures, he will have to shoulder the responsibility of bowling extra overs. He will be playing in England for the first time and it will be a great experience for Hardik as he is a quick learner. India will be hoping that he does well in the series and provide a cushion for Virat Kohli to play an extra seamer or a batsman.

3. Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav will be playing outside the sub-continent for the first time

When India went to South Africa at the start of the year, Kuldeep Yadav was unfortunate to miss out the test squad. This time around, he has been rewarded with a test spot for his exploits in the limited overs fixtures.

When Kuldeep picked 6 wickets in the first ODI, it looked like he might make it to the playing XI for the first Test. With the English team growing in confidence against him with every passing match, India might have to think twice before including him ahead of Ashwin and Jadeja.

Considering it is a 5 match series, he might get an opportunity at some point of time. It will be a new experience for him as he hasn’t played with the red ball outside the sub-continent. It will be interesting to see if Kuldeep gets a chance, and if at all, he gets a chance, how effective can he be in England in red-ball cricket.

2. Jasprit Bumrah

Bumrah will be playing his second overseas Test Series

Jasprit Bumrah made his Test debut in January this year against South Africa. He immediately impressed everybody, taking 14 wickets in 3 games which included a 5 wicket haul. He got AB De Villiers bowled as his maiden Test wicket. He, along with the support of remaining pacers, helped India win the last Test match at Wanderers.

In a very short span of time, he has become one of India’s front-line bowlers in the Test format. Unfortunately, he will miss the first match due to an injury on his hand. He will be playing Test cricket in England for the first time but there is no doubt he would be a force to reckon with.

He has the ability to swing the ball and his extra pace can trouble a few. Many England Test specialists will be facing him for the first time and might find it difficult to score against him. He is going to be an integral part of Indian team's plan for the series.

1. KL Rahul

KL Rahul will be tested in the English conditions

KL Rahul made his Test debut against Australia in Australia. Debuting in Australia, against Australia is a very tough task for any batsmen. But he rose to the occasion and scored a brilliant century at the SCG in his second test match.

He is one of the three openers to have been picked for the series. With Vijay set to be in playing XI, there might be a competition for the second opener's spot between Rahul and Dhawan. Or there is a possibility that, the management plays all three of them with KL Rahul batting at No.3. KL Rahul's current form makes him a certainty in the playing eleven.

If he gets going, he is a treat to watch. The only issue which might go against him, will be his inexperience of playing in swinging and seaming conditions. He played 2 Test matches in seaming conditions in South Africa, but could score only muster 30 runs in 4 innings.

Since he possesses the technique to tackle the moving ball, it will be a real test for him to face two of the greatest bowlers in Broad and Anderson. If he gets going, it will be a treat to watch him perform in English conditions.