#3 Karun Nair
Karun Nair had a marvelous start to his Test career when he registered a triple century against England in just his third Test.
He became the second Indian after Virender Sehwag to achieve the distinction, but, was dropped in the very next match with the vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane returning from an injury.
Karun was subsequently given opportunities in the three Tests against Australia in March 2017, but, had a slump in form and could muster just 54 runs.
The poor form continued in the Indian Premier League 2017 too and he found himself out of national contention with Rohit Sharma also making a comeback from an injury. The Karnataka batsman performed decently on the tour to South Africa with the ‘A’ team and also got a century in the Duleep Trophy that followed.
He was prolific in the Ranji Trophy season amassing 612 runs at an average of 68.00 which included three centuries.
With Rohit performing well against Sri Lanka and India opting for an all-round option in Hardik Pandya instead of a frontline batsman, Karun missed out on a berth in the squad to South Africa despite having a good domestic season.
Now, with Rohit dropped after an ordinary series against South Africa and Virat Kohli also missing out, Karun has a chance to perform well and secure a place in the squad for the England series.
He will also lead the India A team in England before the Test series and with a good technique, will be a useful option in the middle-order.
Which of these players will leave their mark on the test match against Afghanistan? Sound off in the comments section below!
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