Six players who could debut for India in the next WTC cycle
India's Test selectors are likely to keep a close eye on these five promising batters and one tireless quick
Sarfaraz Khan's first-class average is second only to that of Don Bradman • PTI
Sarfaraz Khan
Sarfaraz has had to fight with perceptions that he isn't "cricket fit", but when you churn out the kind of runs he has, season after season for three years now, there can't be much weightage to that argument. As things stand, his first-class average is second only to Don Bradman, among batters who've played at least 50 innings; he averages 79.65, with 13 hundreds and nine half-centuries.
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Yashasvi Jaiswal
How can you ignore someone with a first-class average of 80.21 across 26 innings? Jaiswal has taken the domestic circuit by storm for his ability to attack bowlers while also having a solid technique. It isn't quite Bazball but Jaiswal in full flow has the ability to dominate bowling attacks, glimpses of which he has shown in the IPL, in the company of Jos Buttler at the top of the order for Rajasthan Royals.
Ruturaj Gaikwad
Much of his recent success has been in white-ball cricket, but Gaikwad's solidity, and his penchant to play late have led many to compare his talent with that of a young Rohit Sharma when he broke through in 2005-06. Gaikwad's red-ball numbers aren't hugely impressive just yet, as an average of 42.19 after 28 first-class games would suggest, but they are improving; 2022-23 was the first time he averaged above 50 in a Ranji Trophy season. Since 2021, meanwhile, he has shown in the IPL that he can mix it against top-quality attacks.
Tilak Varma
"Typical Hyderabadi flair." That was Rohit Sharma describing one of many knocks Varma played during the IPL for Mumbai Indians. He missed the 2022-23 Ranji season due to injury, but his temperament and technique have come in for plaudits from several experts, including Sachin Tendulkar.
Abhimanyu Easwaran
Perhaps the oldest in this current batting group at 28, Easwaran has been a proven performer for India A for a while now. He has based his game around a sound technique that has brought him success in challenging conditions. Having made his first-class debut in December 2013, he has risen to be among India's next-in-line as far as red-ball openers go over the last three years. Easwaran's overall first-class numbers are formidable: 6556 runs in 150 innings at an average of 47.85, with a best of 233.
Mukesh Kumar
Having modelled himself on Josh Hazlewood, Bengal's Mukesh Kumar has gained a reputation for being a tireless workhorse whose robotic consistency and minute deviations off the pitch have troubled the best of batters in domestic cricket. Having been an India A regular for two seasons now, elevation to the Test squad only seems natural.
Shashank Kishore is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo