India tour of England: 5 players to watch out for

Indian cricket team tours England next month, and the big test is upon them.Their last outing to England is something everyone would like to forget.During the 2011 England tour,no batsman with the exception ofRahul Dravid could make a century in the 4 Tests, and Praveen Kumar was the leading wicket-taker,with 15 wickets to his name in 3 Tests. Both of whom are not a part of the current squad; while the former has retired, the latter doesnt appear to be in the nationalselectors good books.That is a bit shameful,youd say. But the team touring this time is more vibrant and younger than the previous lot.They may not have the experience, but the passion to perform at the top level is definitely there.As they tryto prove their critics wrong and repay the faith of the selectors, let us take a look at the5 players to watch out for in the upcoming series.

#1 Shikhar Dhawan

Who can forget the Shikhar Dhawan-blitz in Mohali last year? Scoring the fastest ever century by a debutant in Test cricket, he was the primereason for India being able to win thatmatch against Australia.

But he hasnt exactly lived up to those expectations in the longerformat.The home series against West Indies is something hed want to forget. The tour to South Africa wasnt much better either. But he showed promise when he made 115 in New Zealand:a century thatwas long due.

Much will be expected from him when he opens for India against the likes of StuartBroad and James Anderson. Hopefully, hell hold on to his nerves and score big for India.

#2 Cheteshwar Pujara

He is a perfect replacement for Indias previous No. 3:Rahul Dravid. He has an insatiable hunger for runs,and this can be seen through his huge conversion rates.

In his short international career so far, he has3 50s, 4 100s and 2 double hundreds to his name. Brendon McCullum said about him: Pujaras wicket is crucial because that guycan bat for weeks.

His score of 153 in the second innings is the highest by any Indian in South Africa. He will surely make a markagainst Alastair Cooks men.

#3 Virat Kohli

He bats at No. 4 for India. Need I say more? He was the lone warrior in the tour to Australia in 2012. He scored a century when all the senior batsmen struggled to put bat to ball.

Since then he has not looked back. He has 6 hundreds to his name in just 24 matches. He scored centuries in his last outings to South Africa and New Zealand.

It is well known that he has both the temperament and the technique required to succeed at the highest level. Last time when India visited England, he wasn’t in the team. With the kind of form he is in now, he will surely make the English pay.

#4 Ravichandran Ashwin

He has been India first choice spinner since Harbhajan Singhs downfall andhas proved worthy of that, at least in Indian conditions.

He became the fastest Indian bowler to take 100 Test wickets,a feat thatcame in just 18 matches. He is currently ranked the No.2 Test all-rounder in the world, witha batting average of 40.25.

An abysmal performance in Indias first Test against South Africa in South Africa last yearled to him making way for Ravindera Jadeja in the next Test and forthe subsequent Test series against New Zealand. Hed be hoping for MS Dhoni and Duncan Fletcher to place their faith in him once again.

#5 Mohammed Shami

This promising seamer from Bengal, who got married last month,took 9 wickets on his Test debut against West Indies in November last year.

When India toured South Africa and New Zealand,he was the third pacer along with Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan. With Zaheer out of the squad,he will have to rise to the occasion and make his presence felt.For a guy who has 27 wickets in 6 Test matches, it shouldnt be too difficult.