England vs India 2018: Four players who could be picked in the Indian team for the last two Tests
When the Indian selectors picked the Indian squad for the five-match Test series against England, they didn't pick the team for all five matches. Instead, they just announced the squad for the first three matches and revealed that the squad for the last two games will be announced later.
The Indian team are having a lot of areas to address in the batting department and if the performances of the batsmen continue in the second and third Test, one can expect the selectors to take some bold calls when they announce the squad for the last two games.
In the meantime, the Indian fringe players are playing in a couple of four-day unofficial Tests against South Africa A and are knocking the doors of the selectors. It won't be a surprise if the players are rewarded for their performances in the unofficial Tests with a place in the Indian Test squad.
Let us take a look at four players who can make it to the Indian squad for the fourth and fifth Test, which will be played at Southampton and The Oval.
NOTE: Players who are not a part of the squad for the first three Test matches were considered.
Hanuma Vihari
Over the last couple of seasons, Andhra Pradesh batsman Hanuma Vihari has been taking consistency to a whole new level as the right-hander is piling on the runs for his team in the FC format. He has been prolific in the format ever since making his debut but over the last two seasons, his hunger for runs has increased and he is making it a habit of converting all his centuries into big daddy hundreds.
"It is more about the mindset. If you have the hunger to score those big runs, it is not too difficult. After a certain stage, the bowlers and the fielders will give up and then you can score how much ever you want. And if you see, in first-class cricket, the hundreds have become a norm now. You can see a lot of people getting hundreds, even the bowlers are scoring hundreds. If you want to be recognized, you have to score a lot more than 100, maybe a 200 or a 300, he said in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda says his attitude when it comes to scoring runs.
Also read: With bowlers scoring 100s, batsmen need to score 200s and 300s for recognition, says India A batsman Hanuma Vihari
Vihari averages 60 after playing 61 FC matches for Andhra, India A and South Zone in which he has scored 4940 runs. He was looking solid in India A's tour of England and in the ongoing unofficial Test against South Africa A, he was looking to score a big one before he was run out for 54. He is a batsman in the Cheteshwar Pujara mould and has technique and temperament to survive in the format. With the Indian middle order struggling, it won't be a bad choice to take a gamble with Hanuma Vihari in the side.