England’s tour of India, starting from February 5, will see
the hosts and visitors both coming off respective series wins and eyeing another, in order to secure the top place in the ICC Test
Championship table.
While the Indian side has seen considerable success in the
Australia tour and the Test series Down Under, England have been victorious in
their Sri Lankan adventure, the first of two Test series in the sub-continent.
A common factor shared by the two teams, however, is the
presence of young faces who can very well play an important, decisive role in settling
the final score for either of the squads.
Also read: England spinner Jack Leach eyes ‘great opportunity’ in Indian tracks
India, for one, have relied heavily upon these faces in the recently
concluded Test series in Australia, where prevalent medical emergencies pushed new faces, eager to test the mettle of their
opponents, under the spotlight. Bowlers such as Mohammed Siraj, T Natarajan and batsmen like Hanuma
Vihari have proved themselves to be crucial options for future Tests.
Below listed are a few more young performers from both teams
who might be the unexpected flares to charge up the series:
1.
Washington Sundar (India)
A left-handed batsman
and right-arm off-spinner, Sundar made his Test debut for India in the fourth
Test of the Australia series, and had a high score of 62, showing the same
resilience on the pitch notable in the later Tests from the entire squad, his two
innings being decorated with nine boundaries and two over-boundaries. Sundar
will remain a strong contender for the England Tests, arguably being used as a
replacement for prominent all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja in case of injury concerns.
Sundar has played 25 T20 International matches for India, and represented Royal
Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League 2020, being highlighted in
the domestic tournament as a rather economical option at hand.
Also read: Second India vs England Test to witness 50% crowd: TNCA
2.
Shubman Gill (India)
Displaying a similar
course of rise to the national team following his stint in the IPL side Kolkata
Knight Riders, Gill has played three Tests so far – all during the Australian
tour – and has a high score of 91 in his bag alongside an average of 51.8. The number-four
batsman, selected as member of the first XI, would be preceded by experienced
names like skipper Virat Kohli, Vice-Captain Ajinkya Rahane, and Rohit Sharma,
while being backed up by the solid hands of Cheteshwar Pujara and KL Rahul.
This would potentially allow the right-handed batsman from Punjab to play as
per his best ability and have a free hand.
3.
Shahbaz Nadeem (India)
Nadeem is officially
listed as a back-up option in the squad for the first two Tests, but his track
record in the past very unsurprisingly lead to a chance in the first team. A slower
left-arm orthodox bowler, Nadeem has shown a remarkable performance in
first-class games, picking up 443 wickets from 117 matches through an economy
rate of 2.70. Despite his chances of featuring in the team being slim in the presence
of Ravichandran Ashwin and Jadeja, Nadeem has the chances of featuring in the
team in the absence of either of the two.
4.
Dominic Sibley (England)
Having played 14 Test
matches, the English right-handed batsman who also bowls right-arm off-break
had his debut back in 2019, but remains a vital part of the England squad and will
possibly be eager to prove himself in India after hitting a bit of a slump in
Sri Lanka, scoring 4,2 and 0 respectively in the first three England innings
before firing back with a 56 not-out, leading to a victory for the visiting
side. He will most likely be raring to have a go at it in the Indian pitches with
renewed confidence. With a Highest Score of 133 to his name, the Indian bowlers
will need to keep an eye out for him.
Also read: With Virat Kohli coming back, series against India going to be a challenge: Jos Buttler
5.
Zak Crawley (England)
The Kentish right-handed
batsman might with an elegant technical touch might remind spectators of former
England captain Alastair Cook. In 10 Test matches, Crawley has so far scored 616
runs, hitting off a high score of 257 alongside a healthy strike rate of 55.2.
Debuting against New Zealand in 2018, Crawley played the Sri Lankan team in the
previous series too, being largely unsuccessful in Asian conditions. Older
records, however, are not a thing to go by, as Crawley’s performance India have
a substantial chance of falling back in line, if the technically able top-order
batsman decides to take his time in the Indian tracks.
