The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced an 18-member squad for the upcoming three-match Test series against South Africa. The first of the three Tests will commence on December 26 in Centurion. Rohit Sharma, who was appointed as the new ODI captain, has been elevated as the vice-captain in the red-ball format while Virat Kohli continues to lead the side.
The regulars like Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and KL Rahul, who were rested for the New Zealand series, have returned for the South Africa series.
Meanwhile, under-fire batter Ajinkya Rahane has managed to hold on to his spot in the Test squad along with Cheteshwar Pujara. This is expected to be the final frontier for both these veteran batters to retain their berth in the Test side.
Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubman Gill, and Axar Patel have been left out due to injuries. On that note, lets us take a look at 3 deserving cricketers who were left out of the squad.
#1. Suryakumar Yadav
The cricketer from Mumbai, who was a part of the Test series against New Zealand, was dropped off the squad from South Africa series without any game time.
Suryakumar enjoys a significant record in first-class cricket, averaging 44.01 from 77 games including 14 centuries and 26 half-centuries.
The right-handed batsman has a strong game against the seam bowlers which would have been useful in South African conditions. However, too many options in the middle-order let down Suryakumar’s opportunities.
#2. Washington Sundar
Young all-rounder Washington Sundar has been a valuable addition to the Test side and played a significant role during India’s triumph over Australia earlier this year.
He continued his good run against England earlier this year in India before an untimely ruled him out ahead of another England series, this time in the UK. Since then, he has been working hard on his fitness at the National Cricket Academy and soon returned to action in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Despite being fit, Sundar was not picked for the series against South Africa, and Jayant Yadav was preferred ahead of him. BCCI is yet to speak on Washington Sundar’s replacement and the all-rounder from Tamil Nadu certainly deserved a place in the 18-member squad.
#1. Abhimanyu Easwaran
The Bengal captain has been knocking on the doors of Indian cricket for quite some time now. He has been scoring consistently in the domestic circuit and deserved a place in the Indian squad.
Easwaran is currently in South Africa with the India A side and has made some remarkable contributions to the team. The 26-year-old has scored a century and a fifty so far in the tour.
Abhimanyu has played 66 first-class matches and has hit 4559 runs with an average of 43.83. He has 14 centuries and 19 half-centuries in first-class cricket. However, with a star-studded top-order only in place, it seems like the Bengal cricketer needs to wait long for his opportunity.
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