After the Border-Gavaskar Trophy triumph in 2020/21, where five players made their debut, the ongoing Test series against England has seen four new comers donning the Test cap for India.
Sarfaraz Khan at Rajkot
For the last two years, every time his name was missing in the Test squad, there has been plenty of noise. And with Shreyas Iyer dropped, Sarfaraz walked into the side and through the course of the Test vindicated his call-up. A counter-attacking 62 in the first was followed by an unbeaten 68 in the second as a promising career took off. Can be a huge asset in Indian conditions, especially against spinners.
Dhruv Jurel at Rajkot
With KS Bharat struggling for runs and batting line-up thin on runs, India turned to Jurel. Coming in at 8, he started off with 46, looking assured in the middle. And at Ranchi showed his worth, rescuing India from 177-7 to 307 with 90 valuable runs. Apart from his calmness and composure, his temperament stood out the most.
Akash Deep at Ranchi
For a side that is already without Shami, resting Jasprit Bumrah for the Test meant they were thin on experience in the pace bowling front. With Mukesh Kumar ineffective, in walked Akash, who didn’t waste any time to land the punches. On the first morning of the fourth Test, it was Akash who accounted for the in-form England top-order – Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope. It ensured, batting first England will not walk away with a huge total.