Credit: ICC
With the England versus India Test series now inching towards the end of it all, you cannot help but feel for some exciting names in the Indian squad that should ideally have been contested with in a Test (for a Test, at the very least), but weren't for whatever reason. While India did definitely have a good series, despite still trailing to the hosts England (by a margin of 2-1) with more than two days in the final Test match currently being played at The Oval in London, it's a bit surprising why certain talented names in the squad simply warmed the bench and didn't break into the playing eleven in any of the five separate occasions.
Did India commit a blunder of sorts? Still early to say, but some evidence is reflected in the way the hosts are leading and the visitors having to play catch-up! On the other hand, were some reputable names in the Indian side did offer endless potential, that they weren't considered for a spot in the playing XI, did after all highlight some questionable selection strategies.
Here are three Indian players who stayed on the bench for the entire ENG vs IND Test series:
1. Abhimanyu Easwaran
What more does a batter need to do in order to break into the playing eleven of a team other than scoring tons of first-class runs in his career? With a score of 7841 runs in first-class cricket, besides 3857 List-A runs, Abhimanyu Easwaran seemed the top of the picks to constitute a playing eleven on this tour.
But no, among the three players who didn't get a game throughout the series included Abhimanyu, the dauntless 29-year-old, who apparently, as news reports suggested, felt "depressed" at not being picked in any of the Test matches.
That is when given the relatively batting pro or batting friendly pitches in England, many a Indian batter made merry scoring heaps of runs in the English conditions.
Does seem a bit weird to not find Abhimanyu Easwaran in India's side in this last game of the series.
He could, at the very least, have been given one Test match.
2. Arshdeep Singh
Fast, tall and in firm control of his line and length, the left-arm pacer from Punjab, and someone who even has a bit of County experience, having played for the Kent County Cricket Club recently, Arshdeep wasn't played at all in this series, getting injured in the build-up to the fourth Test, in which right-arm pacer Anshul Kamboj made his debut. This was, without much doubt, much like a disconsolation of sorts that marred Arshdeep Singh's England journey that basically remained a visit to the country, not on any of its cricket grounds to actively participate in any contest, whatsoever.
But who does the blame rest with and what was the team's think-tank up to, or not up to as seen in Arshdeep Singh's case?
3. Kuldeep Yadav
Another name among the three players who didn't get a game throughout the series during England versus India contests is that of Kuldeep Yadav, who's even taken a hat-trick in top-tier international cricket. That, of course, is besides his share of 56 Test wickets, 181 One-Day wickets, and 69 T20I wickets.
Kuldeep's Test career still seems to be in its nascent stage with the left-arm wrist spinner having played just thirteen games as on date, but in England's batter friendly conditions, which were the dominant scene all throughout this time around, the sensational spinner could have come as a great surprise to the batters. But then it wasn't to be. Why didn't the playing condition not include some of these cricketers despite all their promise is something one would never quite arrive at with confidence!
