Hardik, Shaw discarded but a new beginning for Arzan Nagwaswalla

The selection of the Indian cricket team, irrespective of the tournament and format, is one of the most sensitive talking points in the country. It always creates countless divided opinions. 

However, there were not many surprise elements when BCCI announced India’s squad for the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final and the five-match Test series against England. Yet, there are some key takeaways from the 24-man squad announced: 

No room for Hardik and Bhuvi

It has been three years since both Hardik Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar appeared in Test cricket for India, yet their absence is the major takeaway from this squad, for it means India will play six Tests in England without a seam bowling all-rounder in their ally. 

In fact, it was the Test series in England in 2018 when Pandya last played Tests for India, solely to fill the void of a seam bowling all-rounder, and picked a 5-wicket haul in India’s only Test victory of the tour. Not to forget, India dearly missed the services of Bhuvneshwar who had to skip the series because of an injury he picked up in IPL 2018, prior to the Test series. 

While we are not aware of the extent of their fitness, Hardik’s non-selection is further hint to his unavailability as a bowler. Hardik has played his last few professional cricket games - both for Mumbai Indians and India - as a pure batsman. During the ODI series against England in March, skipper Virat Kohli stated that they are trying to manage Hardik’s workload to keep him in good shape for the England tour. All those talks are now down the drain with the 27-year old ignored for the upcoming Test assignment. 

India have four spin bowling all-rounders for the tour but none in the seam bowling department. 

No Prithvi Shaw

Where does Prithvi Shaw stand in the pecking order of Test openers? Quite far if you judge by the squad announced. 

India’s first choice opener by the start of their previous season - 2020/21 - Shaw lost his place after the chinks in his technique were exposed in the Adelaide Test. He went back to the nets, ironed out those kinks and made a cracking return to form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021. He backed it up by smashing the bowlers in IPL 2021 - 308 runs in 8 innings - which put him in the reckoning of a Test comeback, especially with an extended Indian squad on the cards. 

However, Shaw has not been considered. The selectors have opted to stick with the same set of openers - Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal and Shubman Gill alongside KL Rahul - while picking Abhimanyu Easwaran as the standby opener. It seems Shaw still has a long way to go to regain his Test spot. 

A similar fate for Kuldeep Yadav?

Remember the Sydney Test in 2019? The India coach, Ravi Shastri said that Kuldeep Yadav is India’s first-choice overseas Test spinner. Hysterically, Kuldeep has not played any of the overseas Tests for India since and now find himself dropped from the Test side. 

Kuldeep was a part of India’s victorious Test squads against Australia and England but played only one of those eight Test matches - the second Test against England. Moreover, he bowled only 12.2 overs in the two innings combined, going for 41 runs at the cost of two wickets. 

In the meantime, other spinners who earned Test caps after him - Washington Sundar and Axar Patel - have gone ahead of him. Both Sundar and Axar will take the flight to England and this could be the end of the road for Kuldeep in Test cricket for a while. 

Who is Arzan Nagwaswalla?

The Gujarat left-arm seamer, Arzan Nagwaswalla is an unknown commodity who made a surprise entry to India’s squad as a standby option. One of the three seamers named in the standby list, Nagwaswalla is the only left-arm seamer in the whole squad which may have worked in his favor. 

23 years old, Nagwaswalla was the highest wicket-taker for Gujarat in the 2019/20 Ranji Trophy edition where he snaffled 41 wickets in eight matches, at an impressive average of 18.4. He can swing the ball with an natural in-swinger for the right-hander, thus making him a perfect candidate to prepare the Indian batsman to face bowlers like Trent Boult and Sam Curran on the tour. 

Given India are scheduled to play six Tests, we cannot rule out the possibility to see Nagwaswalla debut for India. However, he will be at the back end of the pecking order which already consists as many as nine seamers.