India v New Zealand: 5 Indian players who missed out in the Test squad

The selectors for the Indian cricket team have gone ahead and surprised one and all with the team selection. Ever since legendary spinner Anil Kumble took over as the coach of the Indian team, there has been an air of invincibility in and around the team. This air saw the Indians claim a 2-0 series win in the Caribbean. However, in spite of the win, the controversial wetness of the outfield, and of course rain, there were a few gaping holes in the India squad that toured the West Indies. The likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Umesh Yadav, and even Rohit Sharma were on the receiving end of a considerable amount of flak for their performances. Yet, they find themselves in the squad. Although it can be agreed that Kumble and others don’t want to change a winning combination, it is clear that there are some who certainly believe that a few player should have got the look-in for the squad. That said, here are five players who possibly missed out on the squad selection. Gautam Gambhir Gautam Gambhir. (© Getty Images) The 34-year old southpaw impressed with some tremendous batting in the ongoing Duleep Trophy. Having played for India in the past, it was clear that he was certainly one of the names tossed around at the selection table. Gambhir’s last international Test match for India came in 2014 against England at The Oval, something that consummated his short-lived comeback. However, since then, he has indeed been making waves in the domestic circuit for both Delhi as well as the Kolkata knight Riders in the Indian Premier League. Also read: Twitter Reactions: Gautam Gambhir’s exclusion triggers Indian fans In the context of the ongoing Duleep Trophy, Gambhir has been one of the more successful batsmen managing 320 runs at an average of 56. What’s more is the simple fact that Gambhir has scored in the 90s in his last few innings. Kuldeep Yadav (Photo Source: Twitter) 21-year old Kuldeep Yadav has been tipped for a long career with the Indian team for some time now. Having played quite a bit of matches for India ‘A’, the left-arm spinner has impressed the selectors thus far. In the ongoing Duleep Trophy, the 21-year old starlet is the highest wicket-taker at the moment and is tied for the top spot along with Shreyas Gopal at 14 wickets. He also boasts of figures of 6/88 in the first match of the tournament. That said, the only thing pending on the long list of Kuldeep Yadav is international cricket, something that has been beckoning for him for a long time. It was also a bit of a surprise for some when Ravindra Jadeja was picked ahead of him. Shardul Thakur India’s Shardul Thakur (Photo by PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP/Getty Images) The 25-year old Mumbai pacer has impressed one and all with some accurate bowling in the Ranji Trophy over the past couple of seasons. His accuracy and ability to extract late swing were also something that saw him picked for the West Indies tour. Heavily tipped to get a match in the West Indies, Thakur was surprisingly overlooked. However, he made amends in the tour of Australia along with the India ‘A’ side in a match that saw his efforts go in vain. However, this time, around, Thakur has been completely excluded from the India team for the series along with Stuart Binny with the Indian selectors naming a 15-man squad for the first Test against the Kiwis at Kanpur. Harbhajan Singh Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh. (Photo by MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP/Getty Images) The 36-year old is perhaps one of the best spinners in India who is currently on the active roster. While some go on to state that his career is over, no one in the current Indian team apart from Ravichandran Ashwin can account for his experience in international cricket. Harbhajan was surprisingly left out of the Indian side that traveled to the West Indies for the T20I series that took place in Florida. He, however, has been a prominent part of the Mumbai Indians unit that takes part in the IPL every season. He, however, has been a part of the Punjab Test team which he will be hoping to play for in the seasons to come, especially with his swansong nearing. Shreyas Iyer (Photo Source: Twitter) 21-year old Shreyas Iyer has been tipped by several former players as well as overseas IPL players affiliated with the Delhi Daredevils to play for India sometime in the near future. In spite of a terrible IPL campaign, there are many who resonate this claim. In spite of not playing the Duleep Trophy, Iyer more than made up for his predicament with some phenomenal performances in the recently-concluded Ranji Trophy, an effort that saw Mumbai clinch a historic Ranji Trophy championship. The only thing that perhaps stands in the way of Iyer is the fact that there is little or no place in the Indian team at the moment to accommodate such a talent. Also read: Twitter Reactions: Indian selectors retain 15, drop Binny and Thakur for the series against New Zealand

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India v New Zealand: 5 Indian players who missed out in the Test squad

Shardul Thakur

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