3 players who can be a surprise inclusion in India’s Test squad against England
With T20I series done and dusted, India take on England in the 50-over format, before they get ready to rub shoulders against one of the most consistent sides when it comes to Test Cricket at home.
It will be a battle of skills, technique and pride as Virat Kohli and his determined squad would take on the field in whites to turn the tables from their last tour in 2014. While England will approach this series as an opportunity to take the revenge after their humiliating 4-0 defeat in the Sub-continent in 2016.
When many consider this as India’s best chance to win a Test series in England, spots are up for the grabs in the long 5-match Test series as the visitors might fancy throwing in a few surprises in their squad for the longest format of the game. It could be a matter of strengthening their batting attack which often fails to deliver in the overseas conditions by roping in few youngsters or an attempt to bring in a backup for Jasprit Bumrah, if he fails to recover from his thumb injury before August 1.
So, here’s a look at three possible players who could be a surprise inclusion in India’s Test squad for the 5-match Test series:
#1 Mayank Agarwal
The domestic season of 2017-18 has seen the coming of age for the Karnataka-born lad. After being in the midst of the things for more than eight years now, Mayank has been in the form of life and has established himself as the go-to man for his state team. The 2017-18 season saw him bring his career back on track as he went onto amass 1160 runs in the Ranji Trophy to top the scoring charts.
There was a time in his career in November 2017 when Mayank was on a hot streak when he mustered more than 1000 runs in a span of 23 days with five centuries including a score of 304*.
He was aptly rewarded for his exploits in the domestic circuit when he was picked for India A for their UK tour. The right-handed batsman was once again in sublime touch as he continued his rich vein of form to score three centuries in the recently concluded Tri-series against Windies A and England Lions.
He played a major role in guiding the team to the final to be eventually crowned as the winners. After making all the hard work, it seems Agarwal is rightly knocking the doors of a possible selection in India’s Test squad for the upcoming tough series against England.