Auqib Nabi and Ajit Agarkar - (Source: AFP)
On Tuesday, July 28, the BCCI announced a 15-member India squad for the upcoming Tests against Sri Lanka. The Shubman Gill-led side will tour the Island Nation for a two-match Test series starting from August 15.
Amid injury concerns, the BCCI has named a strong 15-member squad to take on Sri Lanka, with WTC final qualification still in sight. Shubman Gill will lead the side, and Sai Sudharsan, Jasprit Bumrah make the cut but are subject to fitness.
India’s Squad For Sri Lanka Tests
Shubman Gill (C), KL Rahul (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Saransh Jain
Fans were divided online because several deserving players were left out of the squad, and it didn’t go over well on social media. Several names were debated and the players who missed out found support through fans on different platforms.
Therefore, this article will shed light on the deserving players who were left out of India squad.
1. Auqib Nabi
The most deserving candidate who should have been in the team is Auqib Nabi. The star all-rounder has been performing brilliantly but is constantly ignored by the BCCI selectors. Auqib Nabi had a brilliant Ranji Trophy, where he led Jammu & Kashmir to their first-ever title.
Nabi picked up 60 wickets in the tournament and scored 245 runs with the bat, averaging 22. Therefore, he deserved a national call-up, but is still waiting to fulfil his dream.
Also Read: India Test Squad For Sri Lanka Announced! Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja Return
The J&K star was called up for the Afghanistan series as a net bowler but never made it to the official team. The fans expected him to make it to the Sri Lanka Tests given the list of injuries.
Auqib Nabi recently played for India A, where he took six wickets in 4 innings.
2. Ruturaj Gaikwad
Ruturaj Gaiwad is another India star who has been knocking on the door but fails to get a chance in the Test team. Similar to Auqib Nabi, Gaikwad, who is known for his orthodox batting style, is playing for India A but not getting the opportunity to represent India in whites.
Gaikwad is also awaiting his Test debut and has already amassed 3294 runs in 79 innings in First-Class cricket, averaging 44.51. The CSK captain was also part of India A’s squad to Sri Lanka.
Gaikwad also had a brilliant Ranji Trophy, where he scored 410 runs in 7 innings, averaging 82.00.
3. Sarfaraz Khan
Another deserving player who should have been a part of the squad is Sarfaraz Khan. The domestic prodigy has not played a solitary Test since November 2024, and there is no explanation behind his ouster from the team.
Khan had a brilliant Ranji Trophy, where he scored 429 runs in 9 innings, averaging 53.63. Even in Sarfaraz’s last Test series, which was against New Zealand, he scored a 150 and still was not presented with another Test series.
Also Read: Who Is Saransh Jain? Domestic Star Earned Maiden India Call-Up vs Sri Lanka
