Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s absence wasn’t felt during the India vs England Test series. Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar exceeded expectations with the bat. Yashasvi Jaiswal didn’t have the best of tours, considering the lofty standards he’s set.
Open spots for IND vs WI Tests
But there were two positions where Team India struggled: number three and six. Sai Sudharsan batted at three in the first, fourth, and fifth Test matches, scoring just 140 runs at 23.33. Karun Nair played at both spots and missed just the fourth Test. He scored just 205 runs at 25.62 in the entire series.
With the India vs West Indies Test series coming up, both of these spots are up for grabs. Even if the selectors and team management want to back Nair and Sudharsan, they’ll certainly be looking at backups for them. Fascinatingly, neither of them will feature in the Duleep Trophy. This gives others who are behind them in the pecking order to make a case for both of these spots.
Candidates for number 3
For the number three spot, there are three candidates. Two of them will feature for the South Zone in the Duleep Trophy and will directly participate in the first semifinal. They are Tilak Varma from Hyderabad and Devdutt Padikkal from Karnataka. The last will be Bengal’s Abhimanyu Easwaran, who’ll play against the North East Zone in the second quarterfinal.
Tilak Varma
Tilak Varma wasn’t part of India A’s tour of England but played in the County Championship for Hampshire, scoring 2 hundreds and 1 fifty in 4 matches while batting at number four. Tilak didn’t play in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season due to international commitments.
He played at number three in the Duleep Trophy last year and scored a hundred against India D, which had bowlers like Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh. Tilak has also been named the South Zone’s captain.
Devdutt Padikkal
Like Tilak, Devdutt Padikkal wasn’t part of India A’s tour of England. But he played at number three for Karnataka in the last Ranji Trophy. Furthermore, he was India’s number three in the first match of the India vs Australia Test series. Padikkal played in the middle order against England on his Test debut and scored a fifty as well, so nerves won’t be an issue for him.
Abhimanyu Easwaran
Abhimanyu Easwaran has been on countless India A tours and even been part of India’s Test squad, including the last two Test series in England and Australia. But he’s yet to get a chance. As an opener, he should have no problem playing at number three in Test cricket. He’s been waiting for an opportunity for a long time, and maybe he’ll finally be rewarded if he performs in the Duleep Trophy.
Candidates for number 6
Similar to number three, there are three candidates for the number six spot as well. Two of them are from Mumbai: Shreyas Iyer and Sarfaraz Khan. They will directly participate in the second semifinal as part of the West Zone’s squad. Dhruv Jurel is the last candidate who’ll lead Central Zone in the Duleep Trophy.
Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer has been one of the best red-ball performers in the last 12 months. He wasn’t part of India A but averaged 68.57 in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy. Batting at number five for Mumbai, Shreyas hit two hundreds (142 and 233) in 5 matches. He scored a fifty in the 2024 Irani Cup and scored two fifties in the 2024-25 Duleep Trophy as well.
Considered one of the best players of spin in India, Shreyas’ inclusion will only improve the Indian team. How can one forget that Bangladesh series where he saved India from humiliation alongside Ravichandran Ashwin? In that same series, he had scored two fifties as well (86 and 87) on what were some of the toughest spin-friendly pitches.
Sarfaraz Khan
Sarfaraz Khan’s exclusion from the team was head-scratching. Whether it be in Australia or England. Despite scoring 3 fifties and 1 hundred in 6 matches, Sarfaraz has been out of the side. He even scored 92 runs against England Lions but wasn’t picked for the squad. Injury had ruled him out of the second leg of the Ranji Trophy, but he’s been scoring big runs in the Buchi Babu tournament.
Ideally, he should be the first man to get a chance if that number six spot opens up. He’s one of the most prolific domestic batters of all time and a great player of spin. Sarfaraz has undergone a physical transformation as well, losing 17 kg of weight during the off-season.
Dhruv Jurel
Dhruv Jurel has been India’s backup wicketkeeper ever since Rishabh Pant came back from his accident. He’s played a couple of matches since. That Ranchi knock was enough to show the talent and temperament that Jurel possesses. He scored 3 fifties in 4 innings for India A in England as well. Even with Pant in the team, he can play, and since Jurel’s a better wicketkeeper, he can even be India’s gloveman.
