5 players who should be picked in India's Test squad for the remainder of England series

When the selectors sit down to pick the squad for the rest of the Test series between India and England, they will certainly have plenty of things to consider. With India yet to secure the series, irrespective of the players picked, the starting XI is unlikely to change until the series is won.

Still, there is a possibility that India could look to add some variety, based on the pitches that they are likely to get in the next three Tests that will take place over the next few weeks. Keeping that in mind, here are five players, who are currently in excellent form that should merit a mention in the meeting as the selectors sit down to pick the next squad.

Although Yuvraj Singh is a popular choice, he doesn’t make this list, despite his staggering numbers in this year’s Ranji Trophy not only because there have been a couple of batsmen better than him but also because it would be a step back to bring in a 34-year-old to disrupt a settled middle-order that has been scoring plenty of runs for India.

Here are five players India should look to draft for the final three matches of the ongoing Test series between India and England:

Abhinav Mukund

Following his century and fifty in three matches in the Duleep Trophy, Abhinav Mukund has followed it up with three centuries and a fifty in six matches in this year’s Ranji Trophy and it is fair to say that the 26-year-old Tamil Nadu opener is making a strong claim to be included in the Indian Test squad.

Over 100 first-class matches at an average of nearly 50 are impressive numbers on their own. But when you consider that Mukund has played his home games at Chepauk, one of the most spin-friendly tracks in the country and those look even better. And while breaking a settled opening pairing of Vijay and Rahul doesn’t make much sense but the presence of an in-form back-up certainly does.

The emergence of Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan as an established opening pair pushed Mukund to the fringes and now the presence of KL Rahul has meant he hasn’t got as many chances as he should have. But the fact that he is just 26 and has an established first-class pedigree, should be enough to secure the back-up opener slot ahead of Gautam Gambhir, who has struggled since his international return and Shikhar Dhawan, who has fallen out of favour.

Yuzvendra Chahal

One of the main reasons why Jayant Yadav got a spot in the squad for the Test series was his impressive performances in the Quadrangular A-team series in Australia and the unofficial Tests that followed. On that basis, it was certainly a surprise to see Yuzvendra Chahal ignored, despite an impressive start to his international career in Zimbabwe earlier this year.

While the presence of Amit Mishra might have forced the selectors to think twice before picking another leg-spinner, the 26-year-old’s performances in this year’s Ranji Trophy have certainly proved that he could do it in the longer formats of the game as well.

With Amit Mishra not getting any younger and not getting much game time either, it might make sense to have a younger leg-spinner in the squad, if you are not playing him. 28 wickets in six matches certainly shows that he is in-form.

Deepak Hooda

While the best average in this year’s Ranji Trophy amongst all players with at least 200 runs certainly does help boost Deepak Hooda’s numbers, but a career first-class average of nearly 60 speaks for just how consistent the 21-year-old has been in the longest format of the game.

The 21-year-old may have made his name as a big-hitter who could also turn his arm over in the IPL, but his career first-class numbers of over 1,500 runs at an average of 57.51 certainly make for impressive reading. One of the reasons why Yuvraj Singh’s name has been consistently mentioned for a Test call-up, apart from his emotional connection with fans, is his form in this year’s Ranji Trophy.

Not only has Hooda scored more runs at a better average and strike rate in this year’s Ranji Trophy than Yuvraj Singh, but he also performs a similar role of an explosive middle-order batsman who can roll his arm over and the best part is he is 13 years younger than Yuvraj and provides a better choice for the foreseeable future.

If India want a middle-order batsman who can bat at a healthy strike rate while also provide them a spin option, then they should go for Hooda, as he is the future while picking the World Cup winner will be a step back and inconsistent with the message the selectors have sent out so far.

Kuldeep Yadav

India’s current squad for the Test series against England certainly has variety in the spin department. In Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Amit Mishra, India have a left-arm spinner, off-spinner and leg spinner, but one thing India don’t have is a left-arm wrist spinner or chinaman.

Instead, they opted for another off-spinner in Jayant Yadav as the back-up spinner. While Jayant is definitely more experienced than the 21-year-old Kuldeep Yadav, the promise that the Uttar Pradesh bowler has shown and the form he is in at the moment, make him a surprise omission.

After impressing in the Duleep Trophy, the 21-year-old has continued his good form in the Ranji Trophy where has already picked up 27 wickets in six matches. Aside from the fact that he is a chinaman, a extremely rare commodity in international cricket, the fact that he can bat as well, evident from his three fifties this year and an average of nearly 30 with the bat shows that he is a multi-faceted cricketer who should earn a national call-up sooner rather than later..

Rishabh Pant

Pant has been in sublime form in this year’s Ranji Trophy

Ever since Adam Gilchrist transformed the role of wicketkeepers in Tests by playing counter-attacking innings while batting in the lower middle-order, every country has been on the lookout for a keeper like him. While MS Dhoni’s exploits in the limited-overs prompted some to think he would be the answer, the 35-year-old could never quite carry his limited-overs exploits over to the longest format of the game.

And that is precisely why someone like Rishabh Pant should be groomed by the team sooner rather than later. The 19-year-old may have only played 20 senior games in his career, but his exploits for the Indian U-19 team and this year for Delhi have shown that he has what it takes to play at the highest level.

While it is true that India already have an established keeper in Wriddhiman Saha, the fact the keeper from Bengal is 32, means that he, much like MS Dhoni, in the other two formats will need replacements sooner rather than later. And while it is too early for Pant to play for India, it would do both him and the Indian team no harm, to have him in the squad.

799 runs in five matches at an average of 114 and strike rate of 113 in this year’s Ranji Trophy has shown that he can play the waiting game and must be in the thoughts of the selectors, if not in the squad for the remaining Tests. After all, the best time to pick someone is when he is on top of his game and Pant is certainly on top of his.