5 Indian batsmen who can make their Test debut against England
The Indian team, currently ranked No.1 in Tests, started the tour of England with a lot of promise. With decent performances in limited overs cricket, it seemed that the team can create history in the longest format. All those expectations have been shattered to quite an extent after the one-sided loss in the second Test.
Even in the first test, the team was able to put up a fight only because of Virat Kohli's performances in both the innings. While Virat Kohli is leading the run chart of the series with 240 runs, no other Indian batsman in the top 6 has scored more 50 runs. Hardik Pandya and Ravichandran Ashwin are the second and the third highest run scorers for India with 90 and 85 runs respectively.
Barring the three Indian players aforementioned, no other frontline batsman has an average in excess of 20. When the experienced batsmen are failing to such an extent, the obvious yet tricky thought that comes to the mind is why not give new players a chance?
So with this thought, we look at 5 possible batsmen who can find a place in the starting XI in the last 3 Test matches. The list comprises of one youngster who is in the squad right now and the four players who have a high chance of making to the squad for the final two Tests, which is yet to be finalised.
#1 Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant has been knocking at the doors of the limited-overs team for quite a while but his recent performances for India A in England are making his case stronger even in the Test team. Playing for India A in England, Pant performed consistently with the bat scoring three half-centuries in four innings in red ball cricket and for these performances, he has rightly been rewarded with a place in the national squad.
The chances of him making a debut in the third test are high because of Dinesh Karthik's lacklustre performances with the bat and behind the stumps. In addition to dropping a few chances, Karthik could manage only 21 runs in 4 innings at an average of 5.25.
On the other hand, Pant's first class record speaks for him. He scored 1744 runs with an average of 54.50 that too with a strike rate of 95.24. It won't be a surprise if Pant makes it to the first XI in the third Test itself.