2 Indian Players Who Will Not Play Even a Single Game against WI

Cricket is about getting opportunities, but for some players, these opportunities may take a long time. BCCI has announced the squad for the upcoming West Indies tour, but the management has a big dilemma regarding selecting the playing XI. Navdeep Saini and Axar Patel, both players, are talented but might not feature in any games in this series.

Let’s look at the reasons behind this estimate.

1. Navdeep Saini

Firstly, If we talk about right-arm pacer Navdeep Saini who is from Delhi, Saini’s selection in the Indian Test team for the West Indies tour could be questioned. His recent performances have not reflected the kind of impact one would expect from a Test match bowler. He has played two Test matches for India and bagged only four wickets with an average of 43.

Furthermore, Saini’s first-class record also does not provide a solid support for his selection. He has an average of 28.36 in FC cricket. This year, he featured in the Irani Trophy and played for India A, but his performance was not impressive.

The Indian pace attack has Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jaydev and Shardul Thakur for the West Indies tour. Considering these factors, the chances of Saini making it into the playing XI seems tough.

2. Axar Patel

The second name is the talented All Rounder Axar Patel. Axar is another player who might not get a chance in the series. Axar has impressive Test numbers, with a bowling average of 17.16 and a batting average of 36.64. However, with the presence of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, it seems challenging for Axar Patel to make it into the starting XI.

Jadeja is India’s Most Valuable Player in the Format, he has performed with both bat and ball in recent games, and Ravichandran Ashwin is an all-time great of the game; Ashwin was out of the XI for the WTC final, but he will feature in the starting XI for the West Indies tour.

Ranking of Players

Moreover, Ravindra Jadeja is The .1 ranked Test All-Rounder in the world currently with 434 points, and he is the 10th ranked bowler with 765 points. Ravichandran Ashwin is the No.1 ranked bowler in Test Format with 860 points and the No.2 ranked all-rounder with 352 points. These factors will make the selection of Axar Patel in the XI difficult.