The Indian cricket team hasn’t been quite consistent with their results in Test cricket in the last couple of years after Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid took over the reins at the helm, especially overseas. It has led to the Indian team management leaving out senior players from the squad, including the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Ishant Sharma, and Umesh Yadav, among others, to initiate a transition phase in the longest format of the game.
In recent times, the Indian selection committee has picked a few youngsters in the Test squad, leading to some of them gaining instant success, while the others haven’t been quite as impressive. With Gautam Gambhir now taking charge alongside Rohit Sharma in Tests, SportsTiger looks at India’s Test team of the future, which could take the incredible legacy of its predecessors forward in the longest format of the game.
Openers: Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad
Yashasvi Jaiswal has taken to Test cricket like fish to water, said the former Indian coach Ravi Shastri on commentary, to describe his successful first few months in the longest format. The 22-year-old, who scored a debut hundred against West Indies in the Caribbean, took giant strides in the Test format against England, scoring a double hundred in Visakhapatnam, to play a crucial role in India defeating a very formidable opponent.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, 27, is one of the most consistent performers in the Ranji Trophy in the last couple of seasons for Maharashtra. For that very reason, he was picked for the recently concluded Indian Test tour to South Africa, but an injury came at the wrong time, forcing him to miss the series.
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Middle Order: Shubman Gill (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, and Sarfaraz Khan
Shubman Gill hasn’t been quite consistent in the Test format since making his debut more than three years ago, but his batting talent and skill have been very evident regardless. The 24-year-old, who has captained Punjab in the Ranji Trophy, was given a huge responsibility by the Gujarat Titans to captain the franchise in the IPL, showcasing their faith in the youngster’s leadership abilities, which could lead him to be the Indian skipper in Tests in the near future.
Rajat Patidar, 31, and Sarfaraz Khan, 26, made their debuts for India in the five-match Test series against England at home, making contrasting starts to their careers in the longest format of the game. Devdutt Padikkal, 23, was drafted into the Indian squad for the Test squad against England, portraying how highly the selectors rate him in red-ball cricket.
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Wicketkeeper: Dhruv Jurel (wk)
The wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, 23, got his debut cap in the Test series against England on the back of an impressive double hundred for Uttar Pradesh in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season. He is one of the most exciting batting prospects identified by the Indian team management to replicate the counter attacking heroics of Rishabh Pant, who was on the sidelines from professional cricket due to the injuries suffered in a harrowing accident in the past.
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All-rounder: Washington Sundar
Washington Sundar, 24, made his debut for India in Tests nearly three years ago, playing a key role in the visitors winning the series at the Gabba against Australia. Since then, he has made sporadic appearances for India in the longest format of the game, in the absence of the established stars, scoring vital runs and picking up important wickets at the same time.
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Bowlers: Ravi Bishnoi, Akash Deep, and Prasidh Krishna
Ravi Bishnoi, 23, a vital player in limited overs cricket for India, has been a part of the playing XI of Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy in the last couple of seasons. With consistent performances in the red-ball cricket in domestics, he has the potential to eventually make an appearance for the Indian cricket team in Tests down the road.
Akash Deep, 27, the right-arm fast medium bowler, played his debut Test for India in a series against England at home after a few great Ranji Trophy seasons with Bengal. Prasidh Krishna, 28, made his debut for India in Tests against South Africa during their recent trip to the rainbow nation, and despite a tough initiation to the longest format of the game, he has the quality to be a regular feature in the squad in the near future.
