3 players unlucky to miss out from India Test squad for West Indies series
India's Test squad for the West Indies tour sees the inclusion of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Mukesh Kumar for the first time, while Cheteshwar Pujara has been left out and Mohammed Shami is rested. Navdeep Saini makes a comeback, while Umesh Yadav is excluded from the squad.
With Pujara's recent struggles in the World Test Championship final, India will have a new No. 3 batter for the upcoming series. The position could be filled by either Jaiswal or Gaikwad. It will also be interesting to see the position Shubman Gill gets considering Jaiswal has been prolific as an opener. This marks the beginning of India's 2023-2025 WTC cycle.
Here we take a look at 3 players who were extremely unlucky to miss out from the India squad:
# Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav was included in the Indian team for the Test series against Australia, but could not make a mark in the only Test he played in Mumbai. He has been left out as the selectors were convinced with the form of Ajinkya Rahane.
Surykumar was viewed by many as an X-factor player who could stride out in the middle order and take the game away from the opposition. However, he does not find a place in the side and this certainly comes as a surprise, especially since India need to start rebuilding their batting order after the struggles in the last WTC cycle.
#2 Abhimanyu Easwaran
Abhimanyu Easwaran's status as an uncapped international cricketer remains perplexing. Despite his exceptional performances for Bengal and India A in domestic cricket, one would expect him to have already made his Test debut.
With an impressive record of 26 half-centuries and 22 centuries in first-class cricket, accompanied by an average just shy of 48, Easwaran's credentials speak for themselves.
Although primarily an opener, his solidity at the crease and ability to construct lengthy innings make him a viable candidate to potentially fill the void left by Cheteshwar Pujara in the immediate future. However, the selectors are keen to blood a more enterprising batter in this role and hence the inclusion of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
#1 Sarfaraz Khan
One of the run-machines in the domestic circuit, Sarfaraz Khan continues to wait for his national cap. He has been prolific in Ranji Trophy seasons and his non-selection is baffling.
In the Ranji Trophy 2021-22 season, Sarfaraz emerged as the top run-scorer, amassing 982 runs in six matches with an impressive average of 122.75. His remarkable form carried forward into the 2022-23 season, where he continued to shine by scoring 556 runs at an impressive average of 92.66.
Among his team, he secured the third position in terms of the highest run-scorers, with Ajinkya Rahane leading the pack with 634 runs, followed by Prithvi Shaw with 595 runs.
With Rahane being elevated to vice-captaincy, it will be interesting to see if Sarfaraz breaks it into the squad this WTC cycle. He needs to churn out some more runs in Ranji Trophy in order to stay in contention.