Rishabh Pant has been India’s biggest match-winner in Tests right since he made his debut. He is the only Indian wicketkeeper to score Test centuries in England, Australia, India, and South Africa. Pant was the point of difference in India’s historic series win over Australia in 2020-21 down under. It was he who fashioned India’s famous win at the Gabba, Brisbane in the decider. Pant has gone from strength to strength since then. He is India’s biggest MVP in Tests.
Pant’s exploits both home and away:
The left-hander scored a stunning century in the fourth Test at Ahmedabad in 2021 against England. It was his knock that helped India bat England out of the game. He repeated his heroics away from home in the final Test at Edgbaston. Pant counterattacked scoring a brilliant century. He played important knocks in the recently concluded series against Bangladesh. But his untimely injury has put a spanner in India’s plans for the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy especially.
We look at who could be potential X-factors for India in that series:
#1 Shreyas Iyer
He has been on a roll ever since he made his Test debut in 2021. Shreyas Iyer had terrific numbers in domestic cricket. He was the only list batter to score at a strike rate of more than 80 and an average in excess of 50. Iyer apart from the odd failure in England against a quality pace attack has largely looked comfortable in Tests.
He is one of the few Indian batsmen who has a terrific game against spin. Nathan Lyon will be Australia’s biggest trump card against Indian batters. Iyer will look to take down Lyon in the 4-match Test series.
#2 Shubman Gill
Rohit Sharma will be back as India’s Test captain for the Border Gavaskar trophy. It means either KL Rahul or Shubman Gill has to make way for the incumbent opener. In all likelihood, it will be Shubman Gill who will be the point of debate. Gill’s game is better suited in the middle order. He is someone who can take a toll on the old ball. Gill is a quality batter against spin. He could be an ideal number 6 against an Australian attack who he has had experience playing against.
#3 Suryakumar Yadav
He has been India’s best T20I batter ever since he made his debut. Suryakumar Yadav’s energy is infectious. He looks to play his strokes no matter what the format. In a Test series like the BGT where there is pressure riding on every delivery, a player like SKY can prove to be the difference. The call for handing SKY a Test cap has been growing louder. It could well prove to be a left-field decision that could tilt the balance in India’s favour.
#4 Sarfaraz Khan
He has been India’s most prolific batter in domestic cricket in the last 4 years. There is no one who deserves a national call-up as immediately as Sarfaraz Khan. He has not just scored runs but scored them in truckloads. Khan is a fine batter across all kinds of bowling. He is the ideal middle-order batter who could translate pressure onto the opposition. In Rishabh Pant’s absence, Khan could play that ideal number 6 role in the team.
#5 Ishan Kishan
His double century in the third ODI against Bangladesh has changed the apple cart. Ishan Kishan is the quintessential modern-day batter who looks to bat aggressively. He is in the mould of Rishabh Pant who could change the game in a single session. Kishan is absolutely brutal against spin. India will miss the services of Pant’s wicketkeeping too. Kishan could solve that problem too. There are many other keepers ahead of Kishan in the queue but nobody is that big an X-factor like Kishan.
