India vs England 2016: 5 players for whom this is a make or break series

As the much awaited India-England Test series is set to begin on November 9^th at Rajkot, India will be looking to avenge the series defeat they incurred at home back in 2012. With Virat Kohli at the helm now, the Indian Test side looks refreshed and will be relishing the English challenge.

With England’s poor showing in the 2^nd Test match against Bangladesh in their recently concluded series and with a few key players from India missing out due to injury, there are players from either side who will be under the radar with their performances being watched closely.

Here is the list of the five players for whom this is a make or break series.

#5 Gareth Batty

To make a comeback to international cricket after 13 years is something special, but the 39-year-old will be under pressure to prove his worth in the upcoming Test series against India. Given the fact that the pitches during the tour are bound to help the spinners, Batty will be looking to make the most of it and make his many years of experience come handy.

He made his comeback in international cricket when England came up against a formidable Bangladesh side at Bangladesh in the two-match Test series which ended as up as a tie with Bangladesh bouncing back after losing the first Test.

Given the fact that he does not have age on his side, the upcoming Test series will seal the fate of Batty’s future in Test cricket for England. If he doesn’t fire, we might see the end of his Test career.

#4 Jos Buttler

Buttler will be playing his first Test after a year

It might come as a surprise to a few to see the England ODI vice-captain on this list, but if statistics go on to prove anything, it’s that Jos Buttler has not performed too well in Tests over the past few years.

In the 24 innings he has played for England in Tests, he has averaged 30 and scored five half-centuries. He is yet to score a century with his highest score being 85. He was not even picked in the playing XI in both the Tests against the recently concluded Test series against Bangladesh.

The last Test he played was against Pakistan last year where he managed to score only seven runs in the entire Test match which Pakistan went on to win by 178 runs. He is all set to make his mark against India as a specialist batsman, and this five-match Test series could decide Buttler’s future in the longer format of the game.

#3 Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya will be hoping to make his debut in the first Test

As Hardik Pandya made his way to the Indian Test squad for the five-match Test series against England, many eyebrows were raised regarding the selection committee’s choice to pick the all-rounder. With the Test series due to begin on November 9, the all-rounder from Jharkhand will be looking to answer his critics with some strong performances on the field.

Pandya made his ODI debut last month in the first ODI against New Zealand where he picked up three wickets to help India achieve a victory against their opponents.

With a few key players like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma missing out due to injuries, Pandya will be looking to make the most of his chance to shine for the team and cement his place for the upcoming Test series. Although, if he fails to perform, we might see him leave the squad before the 3^rd Test itself.

#2 Gary Ballance

Ballance is not providing the balance in the current English middle order

Gary Ballance was introduced into the England squad to provide balance in the middle order, but he has not been able to do so with a destitute showing against Bangladesh. He managed only 24 runs in 4 innings at an average of six.

In fact, in his last six games, Ballance has averaged just over 19 with his only moment of glory being the 70-run knock against Pakistan at Birmingham

Since his debut against Australia in 2014, Ballance performed well for the Englishmen with an average of 39.25 in 21 Test matches where he has amassed 1413 runs. Unfortunately, after his promising start, he seems to be beginning to fade away.

Will he bounce back against the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja? Let’s wait and watch.

#1 Gautam Gambhir

Will he be able to extend his Test career?

The southpaw from Delhi made his comeback into the Indian Test set-up after a 2-year layoff in the recently concluded Test series against New Zealand. He managed a half-century in the 2^nd innings of the match, but despite that, he would have hoped for a better showing.

After putting in a good run in the Ranji Trophy with Delhi, he was named in the squad for the Test series against England and he is the favourite to open the innings along with Murali Vijay.

With the absence of KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan, Gautam Gambhir could not have asked for a better chance to extend his Test career for India. Although, if he fails to perform, we could see the end of Gautam Gambhir in the Indian whites.