Team India will take on England in the fifth Test of the series that was halted last year. There is plenty that has changed since then. Both teams have different captains and coaches now. The Indian Team, too, is different with a couple of changes having been made from that squad. In this article, we take a look at seven Indian players part of the first four Tests but will not play the final Test against England. Before that, here is the squad that has been selected for the one-off Test match.
India’s Test squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain) Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohd Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.
1) Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane was the vice-captain of the Indian Team that played in England last year. However, a lot has happened since then for the Mumbai cricketer. He was dropped from the team for the home series against Sri Lanka. However, he had a good Ranji Trophy and there was a possibility of a return. Unfortunately, the player suffered a hamstring injury and has been ruled out of action for two months.
2) Ishant Sharma
Ishant Sharma is one of the Indian players who were part of the first four Tests but will not play the final Test against England. The veteran India pacer played at the Lord’s and Headingley against England last year. He, overall, returned with five wickets. Ishant, though, has now been dropped from the Indian Team. Hence, he will not play the final Test.
3) Mayank Agarwal
Mayank Agarwal was selected in the squad for the England series. However, he suffered an injury and KL Rahul replaced the cricketer. Since then, KL has gone on to cement his place in the XI. Mayank, on his part, has been in poor form although he made a hundred against New Zealand at home. Nevertheless, his record in overseas conditions has been poor in recent tournaments. Hence, he has been dropped from the team.
4) Wriddhiman Saha
Wriddhiman Saha is also one of the Indian players who were part of the first four Tests but will not play the final Test against England. Team India has moved on from Saha for the backup wicket-keeping option in the Test Team. KS Bharat is now the preferred player and hence, Saha is not part of the squad.
5) Abhimanyu Easwaran
The West Bengal opener was the backup opener option in that squad. However, the player did not get a chance. With the regular options fit and available, Easwaran has naturally been excluded from the team. The right-hander will now look to do well in the Ranji Trophy to earn a comeback and make his debut.
6) Prithvi Shaw
Although Prithvi Shaw was dropped from the Test squad, he was called from Sri Lanka to be part of the Test Team in England. This was due to multiple injuries in the squad. Shaw did not get a chance in that series. However, he will be hopeful of a chance in the coming months, at least, in the home series.
7) Suryakumar Yadav
Similar to Shaw, SKY was also a last-minute inclusion in the squad. The Mumbai player is yet to make his debut in the Test arena. With India undergoing a transition phase in this department, it would not be a surprise if he plays in red-ball cricket soon.
