India will go ahead into the Test series with the hopes of winning a series on England soil after nearly 14 years, and the preparation had started long back after the end of the World Test Championship finals. The players who were out there when India toured England previously will be looking for redemption, and they will be looking to build all the confidence from the test series win in Australia. However, it will be a different ball game in England with the swinging conditions, and the star players from the lineup will have to step up.
India had lost the services of Shubman Gill, Avesh Khan, and Washington Sundar, but they will be boosted with the replacements of Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav, who have done well in recent times. The senior men, including the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, will be under pressure to perform from the start as they have some intense competition from the bench. It is time to look at 5 Indian Key Players To Watch Out in the test series against England.
#5 Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane has been going through a challenging phase after the Melbourne Test century in Australia. He hasn’t played many notable innings bearing the 67 he hit against England at the start of this year. He has been facing hamstring injury concerns in recent times, and the Indian vice-captain will be aware that KL Rahul has been fighting for a spot in the middle order. Rahul scored a century in the game against County-selected XI and has already proven that he is up for the tasks.
Rahane played well in the first innings of the World Test Championship finals against New Zealand with a solid 49 but perished with a soft dismissal by playing a pull shot for which the field was set. He has been looking to grind out there and has been one of India’s best batsmen in overseas conditions for a long time now. His worry would be the different mode of dismissals he has been involved with, and he will be looking to have a big series to get back his mojo. He was India’s highest run-getter in the World Test Championship despite going through a rough patch.
#4 Rishabh Pant
The Indian wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant is another key player who is going to have a significant impact in the test series for India, especially that he can contribute at number 6 for India. He proved to be a match-winner in Australia, playing some career-defining knocks at the Sydney test and the Gabba test, which will be remembered forever. He continued his excellent form into the home test series against England and has significantly boosted the Indian batting lineup.
The fact that Rishabh Pant has been keeping wickets well and bat at six gives India the option of going in with two all-rounders effectively at seven and eight. He has also brought a left-hand option into the mix and is currently the only left-hander in the Indian top order. Pant can be very aggressive in the longer format, which stands out in his gameplay. He is a natural stroke maker, and his form will be key to India’s plans for the England series.
#3 Ishant Sharma
The tall seamer Ishant Sharma is among the seniors in the Indian team, and he will spearhead the pace attack. Over the years, his control of lines and lengths is immaculate and is up there among the best in the business. Ishant has played 100 tests for India, which is an excellent achievement for a fast bowler, and his ability to swing the ball is going to be a massive factor in English conditions.
Ishant has improved his limited-overs bowling exceedingly well, and he looked so good when he pitched it up in the right areas for the Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2021. A good series here might push him up for an outside chance for the T20 World cup this year as a backup to someone like Jasprit Bumrah. Ishant can get the breakthrough from challenging situations, and India’s chances of winning the test series will be increased if he gets into his groove.
