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

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.