Team India recently announced the squad that would take on England in the home Test series. Although the team was only for the first two games, not many changes would be expected for the final two encounters. After the massive success in Australia, expectations would be sky-high for the Indian team to do really well against the English squad.
While Virat Kohli has made a comeback, Ishant Sharma is also back in the squad. Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami and Hanuma Vihari were amongst the noticeable exclusions. The trio is still nursing their injuries suffered in Australia.
In the 18-member squad, there were a few cricketers who were unlucky to miss the berth. They have put in decent work in recent years and deserved a go against England.
1. T Natarajan
Let alone the Test squad, a couple of months ago, T Natarajan would have not even expected to be an India player. However, thanks to his hard work and commitment, Nattu became the first Indian to make debut across all formats on a single tour. Not many gave him a chance when he donned the white jersey. Many said he was a white-ball cricketer and did not have the skills to pick wickets in the longer format. However, the Tamil Nadu player was immense with his performance at Gabba. He was more than adequate and helped India win the game. Despite the good show, Nattu will not be part of the England series. Considering the first two games are in Chennai, the SRH player could have been handy because that is his home ground.
2. Shahbaz Nadeem
Nadeem was part of the XI when India played South Africa back in 2019. Now that Ravindra Jadeja was unavailable, many felt Nadeem would be an automatic choice. He is in the reserves, but Nadeem did deserve a place in the final squad. The left-arm spinner has been a consistent performer in Ranji Trophy and has also done decently well in IPL. The player also has plenty of experience on Indian pitches. However, it will be Axar Patel who would take his place for the first two games.
3. Navdeep Saini
Yes, he was underwhelming in Australia, but Saini is a talented player who needs a sufficient amount of backing. Saini’s expertise is bowling on Indian pitches, where he has picked a bulk of wickets for Delhi in the Ranji format. Hence, he must have been given an opportunity in this series. That would have helped his confidence and would have, in turn, helped the team in future tournaments. That said, it may also not be a bad situation for Saini. He has got quality time to work on his bowling, and he can now come back stronger.
4. Prithvi Shaw
Considered as the future of Indian batting just a few months ago, Prithvi Shaw is presently at a miserable point in his career. He is struggling to score runs and seems to be low on confidence too. However, a few games on Indian pitches, where he has been prolific, could have been helpful for the youngster. Unfortunately, he has been dropped for the England series. Shubman Gill, who had a fantastic tour of Australia, has been preferred instead. He is also not in reserves, and that would mean that his comeback to the Indian Team would now take a very long time.
5. Jalaj Saxena
Team India has always struggled to find good all-rounders in recent years. Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja have solved that issue now. With Pandya not bowling and Jaddu injured, Team India has picked Washington Sundar and Axar Patel for the England series. However, better than both these players is Jalaj Saxena, who has consistently done well in the domestic circuit. He is an off-spinner and a good batsman, both of which could have been useful against England at home. That has not happened and the dream of playing for India is now getting far away for the player now.
