3 players who were terribly unlucky to miss out on India's squad for the Bangladesh Tests
Team India recently announced a 16-man squad for the two-match World Test Championship series against Bangladesh to be played in December. While the first Test will be played in Chittagong, the second will take place in Mirpur.
The squad featured the return of star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who was laid low by a knee injury during the Asia Cup. Jasprit Bumrah was a notable absentee, having suffered a serious back issue. Others, however, were nowhere to be found despite being fit and available.
India's squad for the Bangladesh Test series: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul (vc), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav
Here are three players who were terribly unlucky to miss out on India's squad for the Bangladesh Tests.
#3 Washington Sundar
Washington Sundar has played only three Tests in his short career, but he has already established himself as a name for the future in the format. Apart from his heroics at the Gabba to help India secure a famous series win, the all-rounder made vital contributions with the bat against England at home.
However, Sundar now finds himself in and out of the national picture, largely due to a series of injuries. He has been named in India's squads for the ODI and T20I series against New Zealand, but not for the Bangladesh Tests. The off-spinner could've been useful on turning pitches in Chittagong and Mirpur and is undoubtedly capable of becoming a top-six batter in the longest format.
Kuldeep Yadav's inclusion as the fourth spinner has made Sundar's absence even more puzzling. The left-arm wrist-spinner has played even fewer Tests than Sundar over the last two years and hasn't turned in any notable red-ball performances.
#2 Sarfaraz Khan
🥂 twitter.com/BCCI/status/15…
So happy to see Rajat patidar there , so deserves this selection ❤️
Well done to Mukesh Kumar too 👍
Now Sarfaraz Khan and Indrajith baba into the test scheme of things . Can't ignore such brilliant performers and performances.Theyve just been phenomenal
TALENT APLENTY 🙏🥂 twitter.com/BCCI/status/15…
Sarfaraz Khan has been knocking down the national team doors for a few years now. After notable scores in the Duleep Trophy and the Irani Trophy on the back of a record-breaking Ranji Trophy season, the right-hander was expected by many to easily make India's squad for the Bangladesh Test series.
Unfortunately, Sarfaraz, who played a couple of four-day games for India A last month, couldn't find a place. An excellent player of spin, the 25-year-old could've contributed immensely to India's middle order with his consistency.
India's squad features six specialist batters and four fast bowlers, which is perhaps strange considering that the Tests will be played in spin-friendly conditions. Chetan Sharma has mentioned that Sarfaraz is close to a call-up and that there's no place for the batter right now, but did they need to pick four pacers for a two-Test series in Bangladesh?
Shubman Gill has never batted below No. 3 in Tests, leaving India without any clear middle-order backups. Sarfaraz would've been perfect for the role, especially because of his relentless run-scoring in domestic cricket.
#1 Hanuma Vihari
Perhaps the most shocking exclusion from India's squad for the Bangladesh Test series was Hanuma Vihari. The batter has been a reliable contributor for the country over the course of his 16 Tests, most of which have been in challenging overseas conditions. His contributions in South Africa are still fresh in memory.
Vihari has done nothing to warrant being dropped from the side and also recently notched up scores of 134 in the Duleep Trophy and 82 in the Irani Trophy. He's not injured either, having been named in Andhra Pradesh's squad for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Why was Vihari dropped? Only the selectors can answer, but one thing is for certain - the 29-year-old was wildly unfortunate not to be picked in India's squad for the Bangladesh Tests.