On the other hand, the World Test Championship starts with the two Tests against the Windies. India are No.1 in the Test rankings and would look to perform well in the championship to seal their status as the best Test team around.
Squads of all the three formats were announced a few days ago and there were some surprises. Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah are rested whereas MS Dhoni isn’t available. Khaleel Ahmed and Navdeep Saini got call-ups and Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey too were picked as batsmen.
Wriddhiman Saha will make a comeback after quite some time in the longest format. Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have either been dropped or rested from the T20I squad but the reason for their omissions has not been mentioned.
There are quite a few players who missed out on the selection but could be on the cusp of the India team based on their recent performances. Here is the list of five such players.
#5. Srikar Bharat
The chairman of selectors MSK Prasad, while announcing the squads, mentioned that Kona Srikar Bharat, the wicket-keeper batsman from Andhra, was very close to getting a call-up. Instead of picking him, the selectors went ahead with Wriddhiman Saha which is fair enough considering that he was the first-choice wicket-keeper before getting injured.
Having said that, Bharat has been brilliant for India A. Since July 2018, he has scored 686 runs at an average of 56.16 with three hundreds and two half-centuries. He has 41 catches and six stumpings to his name.
In his last first-class season, he scored 829 runs at an average of 43.63 with three centuries and three half-centuries. He has been consistent with the bat and assured behind the stumps as well. At the moment the selectors have gone safe by picking Saha but it won’t be a surprise if Bharat is picked for India in the near future.
#4. Shreyas Gopal
The likes of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal haven’t been picked in the T20I squad but still, the selectors haven’t gone in with too many wrist-spinners. Instead of wrist-spinners, there are three finger spinners in the squad. Ravindra Jadeja and Krunal Pandya were always going to be picked because they can be considered as all-rounders but the selection of Washington Sundar is still debatable.
Shreyas Gopal had a really great season for the Rajasthan Royals in this Indian Premier League. He was one of the few positives for Rajasthan in an otherwise disappointing season. He picked up 20 wickets in 14 games at an average of 17.35 and an economy of 7.22. His tally of 20 wickets included a hat-trick in which he picked up the wickets of Virat Kohli, AB De Villiers, and Marcus Stoinis. He is a smart bowler and can contribute with the bat as well so it was surprising to see that he wasn’t even picked for the India A team.
3. Mayank Markande
Mayank Markande has played one T20I for India against Australia earlier this year. He had a good debut but wasn’t picked for the next game. he is another wrist-spinner who had a good IPL season in 2018 for Mumbai Indians, but had a more subdued 2019 season. Wrist-spinners have always done well in the shortest format and especially against the West Indies who are traditionally weak against them. It’s, thus, surprising that only one wrist-spinner has been picked in the shortest format against West Indies.
Markande is young and has a bright future ahead of him. He surprised many last year with his control and variations. He had a dream debut against Chennai Super Kings as he picked up three wickets including the big one of MS Dhoni.
He has been fairly successful at the domestic level and it would have been a good time to test the youngster in overseas conditions. He is currently playing for India A in the four-day game and would definitely be eager perform in the longest format as well. He might not be selected at the moment he would definitely be on the waiting list for the selectors.
#2. Mayank Agarwal
Mayank Agarwal’s selection came as a huge surprise when he was got a call-up in the World Cup squad as a replacement of Vijay Shankar. After his stellar domestic season last year he has always been in the headlines but hasn’t played much in the national team. In fact, he hadn’t played a single ODI before getting a call-up in the World Cup squad.
He had a great start to his Test career as he scored two half-centuries in two games against Australia in Australia. He can cement his place as a permanent Test opener if he has a good series in the Caribbean.
The fact that he got selected in the World Cup squad tells us that the selectors are looking at him as a back-up opener in the shorter formats, especially the ODI format. He could be a good option if KL Rahul is made to bat in the middle-order. He has been performing consistently for the A-sides so he too should be on the waiting list for the shorter formats.
- Shubman Gill
After the squads were announced, Shubman Gill said that he was disappointed as he wasn’t selected in any of three squads announced. He was expecting his name at least in one of the squads and rightly so. Everybody in cricketing circuits rates this guy highly and it’s only a matter of time before he plays at the highest level on a consistent basis.
Time and again he has shown his skill at the domestic levels. He scored runs whenever he was promoted up the order for Kolkata Knight Riders.
Even in the recently-concluded series against West Indies A, he was the highest scorer for India A as he scored 218 runs in four innings at an average of 54.50.
He is an accumulator and can open the innings as well as bat in the middle-order. He has the skill and talent to become a future superstar and there is no doubt that his name is topping the waiting list at the moment.
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