Haseeb Hameed to make his Test debut against India in the opening match at Rajkot

The 19-year-old Lancashire batsman Haseeb Hameed, who was called up for the Test tour of Bangladesh in October but did not play, is set to get his Test cap in the opening Test against India at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot. Captain Alastair Cook also went on to reveal that Ben Duckett, who opened in Bangladesh, will bat at number four.

The right-handed top order batsman grabbed the attention of the selectors through his fabulous debut season with Lancashire in County Championship Division One this summer, will become only the second teenager to play Test cricket for England since 1949. All-rounder Ben Hollioake was 19 when he played against Australia in 1997.

Hameed, who had a rather disappointing start to this year after being dropped from the Under-19 side for the junior world cup in Bangladesh, went on to amass 1,129 runs at an average of 52, with four centuries and seven fifties. He is the first teenager to manage four centuries in a single first-class season.

Two of those came in one match against Yorkshire. The twin centuries against Yorkshire made him the first player from Lancashire to achieve that feat against their top rivals and also the youngest player to manage a hundred in each innings in England.

He is the youngest Lancastrian to score 1,000 runs in a season and fifth youngest to the feat in English county cricket. These performances solidified Hameed’s contendership for a possible breakthrough in the Test team and eventually led to the selection in the Test squad.

England to give Test debut to 19-year-old Haseeb Hameed @HaseebHameed97 tomorrow with Ben Duckett moving to bat at 4 #INDvENG #cricbuzz

— Alan Wilkins (@alanwilkins22) November 8, 2016