5 Indian Players Whose Test Careers Might End After The ICC WTC Final 2021

The India National Cricket Team will lock horns with New Zealand in the ICC World Test Championship final in June. After numerous bilateral Test series witnessed during the tournament, India and New Zealand came out at the top of the points table to fix their berth in the final.

The ICC WTC final will be played at The Rose Bowl Stadium in Southampton, England. The Indian team is all set for the much-awaited match. BCCI has also named 20 players who will be part of the Indian squad for the ICC World Test Championship final along with 4 standby players.

The ICC World Test Championship final is very crucial for India. The tournament will observe the first champion of Test cricket. Indian players will be eager to give their best performances in the match. Being a regular part of the Test team is a little tough task as players have to show that they are Test specialists. Here we take a glance at 5 Indian players whose Test careers might end after the ICC World Test Championship final.

5 Indian Players Whose Test Careers Might End After The ICC WTC Final 2021

Hanuma Vihari

Hanuma Vihari is part of the Indian squad that will lock horns with New Zealand in the ICC World Test Championship final. He is a Test specialist and only represents the Indian team in the Test format, so he has a big responsibility in Test matches. However, Vihari has continuously failed to perform in the last few Test matches he played.

Against Australia in December-January 2020-21, Vihari played three Test matches but failed to score even a fifty. He played 5 innings in which his highest score was 23 runs. His scores against Australia were 16, 8, 21, 4, and 23*. Moreover, during the prior Test series against New Zealand, he scored 55 runs in one innings but got out for 7, 15, and 9 in the other three innings. Therefore, due to his inconsistent batting show, Vihari might lose his spot in the Test squad after the ICC World Test Championship final.

KL Rahul

KL Rahul is another player who has shown poor form in the Test format. Although KL Rahul is a valuable player in ODI and T20I cricket, his performance in Test format is a matter of concern. KL Rahul last played a Test match in August 2019. In the two-match Test series against West Indies in 2019, KL Rahul managed scores of 44, 38, 13, and 6.

Prior to that in December 2018, Rahul scored 2, 44, 2, 0, and 9 against Australia in three Tests. He was also not part of the Australia and England Test series during the end of 2020 and the start of 2021, when few newcomers and youngsters impressed with their incredible performances. Therefore, KL Rahul is another player who might lose his spot in the Test squad.

Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur has only played two Test matches so far. The right-arm medium pacer Thakur made his Test debut in October 2018 against West Indies, where he remained wicket-less. He was ignored for many Test series and then got a chance against Australia during the 4th Test in January 2021. He picked 7 wickets in the match.

Shardul Thakur has always been criticized for conceding a lot of runs, which is one of his weaknesses in bowling. Although he is picked up for T20I games, his appearance in Test cricket is very less. Just 2 Test matches in the last three years show that selectors do not consider Thakur a valuable player in Test format.  As a result, he might play his last Test during the ICC World Test Championship final.

Umesh Yadav

Umesh Yadav is another player whose Test career might end after the ICC World Test Championship final. Umesh Yadav has suffered to bowl well in all three formats due to which his appearances in international games and IPL have gone less. Right-arm pacer was part of the Australia Test series in December last year. He was dropped after he picked only 3 wickets in the first match and 1 wicket in the 2nd match.

Later, Yadav was also dropped for the Test series against England this year. Moreover, Mohammed Siraj has come to the limelight with his pace bowling in Test cricket in recent time. Therefore, Umesh Yadav is another player whose Test career might end after the ICC World Test Championship Final.

Wriddhiman Saha

Wriddhiman Saha was the primary choice of selectors for wicketkeepers in Test cricket. However, the way Rishabh Pant played in the Test series against Australia and England, Saha might lose his spot to the left-handed batsman Pant. Against Australia, Rishabh Pant smashed two wonderful knocks of 97 and unbeaten 89, which helped India to defeat Australia 2-1 in the Test series.

Later in the series against England, Pant smashed 91, 58* and 101*, which made him a promising wicket-keeper batsman in Tests. Saha is part of the Indian squad for the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand but Pant has far more chances of being part of the playing XI. Post the series, Wriddhiman Saha might be overlooked by selectors in Tests with Rishabh Pant in the spotlight for wicketkeeper’s choice.