3 players who could be surprise picks for India's Test XI vs England. 

Will the world's No.1 Test team conquer England at home?
Will the world's No.1 Test team conquer England at home?

#2 Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep could be selected ahead of either Ashwin or Jadeja.
Kuldeep could be selected ahead of either Ashwin or Jadeja.

Kuldeep Yadav has gone from strength to strength ever since he made his international debut, and along with partner-in-crime Yuzvendra Chahal, he has firmly displaced stalwarts Jadeja and Ashwin from the limited-overs setup.

The spinner's variations in line and length, along with his aggressive instinct could be the perfect recipe for disaster, as far as the Englishmen are concerned, who are not known to be adept against spin. Kuldeep's bag of tricks could prove to be the X-factor that can swing the series in India's favor.

While Ashwin and Jadeja have been the go-to-men for a very long time, their numbers abroad make for sorry reading. Ashwin has 91 wickets abroad as compared to the 220 at home, with an average of 31.67 and strike rate of 60.42.

Ravindra Jadeja has a strike rate of 61.22 in tests, with an average of 23.74, but on pace-friendly pitches it would be extremely hard for him to trouble batsmen with his orthodox left-arm spin.

Although young Kuldeep has played only 4 tests thus far, he is a supremely confident and talented young cricketer, and always backs himself to pick wickets. The T20 and ODI series will give us a fair idea of whether India's latest spin wizard is capable of delivering on the big stage, under pressure and that too on pitches that don't assist spinners.

If Kuldeep were to impress, however, you can expect the selectors to pick him for the test series as well. With the ultra-aggressive Kohli as captain, Kuldeep may well give cricket fans a series to remember.

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Edited by Nishant Jayaram
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