IND vs ENG: Four India players who can make a surprise comeback for last 3 Test vs England

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IND vs ENG: The ongoing Test series between Team India and England has been nothing short of competitive as both teams had their say in the first two games. While the Three Lions drew the first blood, the hosts made a quick recovery to level up in the second Test.

With three more games to be played, there is still plenty of cracking action waiting in store for the fans. Meanwhile, the Indian national selectors are yet to unveil the squad for the last three Tests.

Who knows there could be some potential surprises in the squad selection and we expect four players who might be given the opportunity to make a surprise comeback for the remainder of the series.

Cheteshwar Pujara: Cheteshwar Pujara has been one of the pivotal components in India’s batting department in Test circuit for over a decade. Nevertheless, his name dissipated from the national selectors’ radar in the wake of his poor performance against Australia in the World Test Championship 2023 final. The 36-year-old registered 14 and 27 in the crucial game, which forced the selectors to show him the exit door for the time being.

With a wealth of experience under his belt, he is still India’s Test specialist and with the third Test slated to be held in Rajkot, the Rajkot-born could be given a chance to find the right spark. The senior pro scored 1778 runs against England including 5 centuries and 7 fifties.

Ajinkya Rahane: Ajinkya Rahane has been one of the batting mainstays in India’s middle-order department for several years. While consistency plays a major role for the players in securing and cementing the spot in the team, Rahane has often fallen short in this area, thus, he has been in and out of the mix so far.

Let’s not forget that his contributions have been quite significant in several of India's overseas wins, as well as home wins. Having played 85 Tests, he has accumulated 5077 runs including 12 centuries and 26 fifties. Perhaps, he could be one of the surprise picks for the last three Tests.

Ishant Sharma: The veteran pacer who has been out of Test set-up for a long time now, hasn’t officially called it quits from international cricket. The 35-year-old’s last Test appearance came against New Zealand in 2021. The veteran also indirectly hinted that he won’t be donning the Test jersey again since his body no longer helps him.

311 wickets in 105 Tests is no mean feat and his personal best bowling figures of 7/74 came against England at Lord’s in 2014. However, he wouldn’t say “No”, when an opportunity knocks his door, in what could turn out to be a better farewell. The Delhi-born took 2 wickets against Baroda in the ongoing Ranji Trophy. Notably, he has taken the most Test wickets (67) against England than any other team.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar: Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s last Test appearance came against South Africa in 2018 and since then, he fell out of the Test scheme of things owing to frequent injuries which adversely affected his chances of making the cut in the team. Having played 21 Tests, the 34-year-old has taken 63 wickets including 4 fifers.

The UP pacer was recently seen in action against Mumbai, where he showcased his mettle by taking 2 wickets in the first innings and 3 wickets in the second innings. Since he is in good shape, the selectors might give it a go by drafting him in the squad for the last 3 Tests. The experienced campaigner has taken 20 wickets in 6 Tests against England. Besides his bowling credentials, he can prove to be handy with the bat as he has scored 3 fifties, registering his best score of 63*.