3 Indian players who might not get a single game during the West Indies Tests
Team India's bench in Test cricket has seen some notable players sit on it in the recent past.
Ravichandran Ashwin, one of the top-ranked Test bowlers and all-rounders, was dropped from the playing XI for the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final as India suffered a comprehensive defeat. Meanwhile, other deserving players like Sarfaraz Khan and Abhimanyu Easwaran are not even part of the squad as of now.
India's Test squad for the West Indies series: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), KS Bharat (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Navdeep Saini.
The upcoming tour of the West Indies will see a few fresh faces in the mix, including Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad. However, it will bear also witness to some names who have not been afforded opportunities to show their class on the global stage.
Here are three Indian players who might not get a single game during the West Indies Test series.
#3 Navdeep Saini
Why is Navdeep Saini in the Indian Test team for the West Indies tour? He doesn't have hugely impressive numbers in first-class cricket and hasn't had any notable performances in the recent past either.
Saini has picked up four wickets in two Tests at an average of 43, and his first-class average of 28.36 is decent but unspectacular. The Delhi pacer turned out for India A and featured in the Irani Trophy earlier this year, without any significant returns in either stint.
Saini has pace and a fair amount of red-ball experience, but it's tough to imagine him stealing a march over Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur and Mukesh Kumar against the West Indies. Given the likelihood of spin-friendly pitches, we could see the fast bowler restricted to the bench.
#2 Ishan Kishan
Ishan Kishan has featured in 41 international matches, but he has never played a Test. With Rishabh Pant out of the fold, though, the keeper-batter has become KS Bharat's backup in the format.
Kishan's first-class numbers don't make for pretty reading, with an average of 38.76 in 48 matches. His strike rate is below 70 as well, taking weight away from the theory that his average is low because he plays an aggressive brand of cricket.
India have shown faith in Bharat, who has managed to prove his worth behind the stumps even though his performances in front of them haven't been too inspiring. While the team management could run out of patience with the 29-year-old in the near future, they're unlikely to drop him against the Windies.
#1 Axar Patel
Axar Patel has a batting average of 36.64 and a bowling average of 17.16 in Test cricket. However, Ravindra Jadeja's stellar displays with both bat and ball mean that he will have to either bide his time or feature in a three-pronged spin attack alongside his left-arm spin partner and Ravichandran Ashwin.
Pitches in the West Indies could be spin-friendly, but not enough to warrant India picking three specialist spinners. Axar might thus have to wait on the bench as Jadeja and Ashwin feature ahead of him. If he gets an opportunity, though, the talented 29-year-old will probably be a handful for the home side to deal with.