IND vs ENG 2021: 3 Indian players who were unlucky not to get a game in the Test series
A brilliant series between India and England seems to have come to an anticlimactic end after the visitors declared that they will be unable to put out a playing XI for the fifth Test.
A few positive COVID-19 cases are believed to have caused apprehension in the Indian camp, with the BCCI and the ECB coming to the decision to reschedule the fifth Test. Nevertheless, we were treated to some exciting cricket over the course of four highly competitive matches.
Unfortunately, some players couldn't take part in the same. Here are three Indian players who were unlucky not to get a game in the Test series against England.
Note: With the second phase of the 2021 Indian Premier League expected to resume on September 19, the rescheduled fifth Test is unlikely to be played in the near future. If it does, this article will be modified accordingly.
#3 Hanuma Vihari
Hanuma Vihari has been in and around the Test team for a few years now, but the presence of experienced middle-order batsmen has meant he hasn't been able to nail down a spot. While his chance in the XI seems to be fast approaching, he couldn't get a game in the England series despite the middle order underperforming for the most part.
Ajinkya Rahane, woefully out of form at No. 5, seemed to be the most likely candidate to be ousted from the playing XI. But India retained their faith in their vice-captain, backing him to come good despite failure after failure. Even Cheteshwar Pujara, who wasn't in the greatest nick at No. 3, could've been replaced by Vihari had the team been slightly more trigger-happy.
KL Rahul, who opened in the innings in the first Test and made the spot his own almost immediately, seemed to have been groomed as a middle-order backup. Vihari, who opened the innings for India Down Under a few years ago, was among the names discussed when naming players to replace Shubman Gill.
However, it wasn't to be for the 27-year-old, who played County cricket ahead of the Test series in the hope that he would get a chance to showcase his wares.
#2 Mayank Agarwal
When Shubman Gill was ruled out of the Test series with shin splints, Mayank Agarwal was the straightforward choice to replace the youngster in the playing XI. But Agarwal was hit on the head by Mohammed Siraj in the lead-up to the first Test and was subsequently replaced by his state teammate and close friend KL Rahul.
Agarwal, who lost his place in the Test team earlier this year after indifferent showings in New Zealand and Australia, has been eyeing a return. Boasting an outrageous home record and having been dropped after a short run of failures, the Karnataka-born opener probably felt it was harsh to have been dropped.
Agarwal missed a golden opportunity to make a comeback due to no fault of his own. It remains to be seen what the future holds for him.
#1 Ravichandran Ashwin
The most discussed player of the India-England Test series despite playing no part it in, Ravichandran Ashwin warmed the bench for all four games as captain Virat Kohli opted to play a four-pronged pace attack. Ravindra Jadeja got the nod ahead of Ashwin owing to his superior batting ability, leaving the experienced off-spinner on the sidelines.
Although wickets late in the series hinted at assisting spin and several experts batted for his inclusion, Ashwin wasn't thrown into the mix. It was a strange fate for arguably the best red-ball spinner in the world, who had picked up a bag of wickets against the same opposition only a few months ago.
But India were vindicated in their decision as they picked up 20 wickets in three of the four Tests.