3 players who are likely to make their Test debuts for India in 2023
India will be looking to make its mark in Test cricket in 2023. The Men in Blue will first take on Australia in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy at home. The result of the four-match series will decide whether they play the Pat Cummins-led side again in the World Test Championship final at the Oval in June.
After missing out on the title in the inaugural WTC edition, India will be looking to end their ICC trophy drought since 2013 with a win this year. They will also take on the West Indies and South Africa later this year.
It will be an important year for the legacy of this Test team that has been formidable across conditions since Virat Kohli took over the captaincy in January 2015.
Let's take a look at three players who might get a chance to make their Test debuts in the upcoming year.
#1 KS Bharat
Veteran wicket-keeper, Wriddhiman Saha has opted out of Bengal's Ranji Trophy campaign citing personal reasons.
Reportedly, Wriddhiman Saha has been informed that the Indian team is looking at KS Bharat as a backup option with Rishabh Pant being the primary choice.
#India https://t.co/kY3SN8RUeE
Indian wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant unfortunately suffered a freak accident in the wee hours of Friday, December 30. We at Sportskeeda wish him well and hope he recovers from the injuries as soon as possible.
In Pant's absence, KS Bharat is highly likely to make his Test debut in the upcoming year. He has a decent record in first-class cricket - 4,533 runs in 84 matches at an average of 38. He represents Andhra in Ranji Trophy cricket.
In the last few seasons, he has been among the consistent performers with the bat and gloves. He became the first wicket-keeper to score a triple hundred in the Ranji Trophy after his 308 against Goa in 2014/15. Bharat has also been a part of the Indian Test squad but hasn't yet played a game.
#2 Sarfaraz Khan
New brothers in town, Sarfaraz Khan & Musheer Khan batting together for the first time for Mumbai in Ranji Trophy. https://t.co/sMltaQBb15
Mumbai's Sarfaraz Khan has been one of the standout batter over the past few seasons in domestic cricket. He might get a chance to make his Test debut considering India's middle-order woes in recent times.
Sarfaraz has an outstanding record in first-class cricket - 3,175 runs in 34 matches at an average of 77 and a strike rate of 70. This implies that along with being a destructive batter, he is also extremely consistent. He has 11 centuries and 9 half-centuries to his name.
He is a brilliant player of spin and looks comfortable against pace bowling. He might get a chance in the playing XI against Australia if there are any injuries. India might also consider shifting KL Rahul down the order if they want him to keep wickets if Pant is unavailable. This could open up a spot for Khan in the playing XI - Rohit (C), Pujara, Iyer/Gill, Kohli, Sarfaraz and Rahul (wk) could be a potent batting unit in home conditions.
#3 Prasidh Krishna
Prasidh Krishna might be a left-field choice, but the Indian team management has earmarked him as a potential talent. He has had an impressive start to his ODI career for the Men in Blue.
India lost 2-1 to South Africa after taking a 1-0 lead in the 2021-22 tour. Their bowlers failed to take wickets in the 4th innings and the absence of a tall bowler like Ishant Sharma was felt in those conditions. Hence, the team may groom him and possibly even hand him a debut against the Proteas later this year.
Krishna, 26, has a good first-class record - he has taken 49 wickets in 11 matches at an average of just 17 runs per wicket and a strike rate of 38 balls per dismissal. He has exhibited great control too - an economy rate of 2.78 runs per over suggests the same.