The ongoing World Test Championship will end in 2023 with the final to be played at the Lord’s in England. Irrespective of India’s performance in the ongoing edition, there are likely to be a few changes in the Test Team. While the team could have a new skipper, both the batting and the bowling departments are likely to involve a transition to the next generation. Hence, we might see a few players make their debut in the next WTC Cycle. Although Ranji Trophy will be the major criteria, the selectors could also pick players based on their specific skill sets that suit the Test arena. On that note, in this article, we take a look at four Indians who might make their Test debut in the next WTC cycle.
1) Sarfaraz Khan
Sarfaraz Khan is the most in-form cricketer in the Ranji Trophy right now. While he scored 928 runs at an average of 154 in the 2019/20 Ranji season, in the ongoing edition, he has already crossed the 600 mark with still a few games to go. His FC career strike rate of above 70 is also very impressive.
It is inevitable that Sarfaraz will find his way to the Indian Team, soon. However, the management can afford an opportunity in the next cycle because the likes of Hanuma Vihari and Shreyas Iyer will be backed to come good in the middle order. Suryakumar Yadav is also in the queue for a role in the middle order. Meanwhile, Sarfaraz can improve on his leg spin, which will make the selectors think more firmly about his selection.
2) KS Bharat
KS Bharat is one of the Indians who might make their Test debut in the next WTC cycle. The Andhra Pradesh cricketer has been the backup for Rishabh Pant for a while now. However, with only a few games left for the ongoing cycle of WTC, Bharat might not get a chance.
Nevertheless, Bharat deserves an opportunity in the next edition. For the team, too, having a ready backup for Pant will be a wise option. This way, the team can hold its ground if Pant gets unavailable due to injury or any other unexpected reason.
3) Umran Malik
The talk at the moment is regarding whether Umran Malik is ready for international cricket. While he has already been selected for the T20I series, the eventual target destination, though, will be in the red-ball team.
So far, the Jammu & Kashmir speedster has very less experience in the longer format. He has been part of just three games till now and hence, there is not much of a sample size to rate him. However, Umran’s raw pace can be a defining factor in the red-ball format. The player needs to work more on adapting his skills to Tests and also improve his pace consistency to nail the format.
4) Mohsin Khan
Mohsin Khan is also one of the Indians who might make their Test debut in the next WTC cycle. Arzan Nagwaswalla has been in and around the Indian Team as the option for left-arm pace.
However, although he has played a solitary FC game till now, Mohsin’s capabilities on display in recent IPL make him an ideal option for the longer format. The Uttar Pradesh cricketer is tall, can extract bounce, has a decent pace, and can move the ball around. Yes, he will need time to develop but the management could start the process from the next WTC cycle.
