Ind vs Eng 1st Test: Historic debut calls await for Sudharsan, Arshdeep?

The wait for the much-awaited Test series between India and England has finally ended. The commencement of the Test series without the bigwigs Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin and James Anderson is just a few hours shy.

Coincidentally, three of the greats of Indian cricket, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli, made their debuts on the same date, June 20th.

Hailing from Calcutta, Ganguly made his debut in the longest format of the game on June 20, 1996. Since then, he has played 113 Test matches for India. The left-hander concluded his Test career with 7,212 runs under his belt, including 16 centuries and 35 half-centuries.

Along with Ganguly, one of the most successful batsmen in Indian cricket history, Rahul Dravid, too, made his Test debut on the same date. Representing India in 165 matches in the traditional format, the former right-handed batsman accumulated 13,288 runs. His Test career also included 36 tons and 63 half-centuries.

Virat Kohli, who has been one of the top ambassadors of Test cricket has announced his arrival on June 20, 2011. The Delhi-born then garnered 9,230 runs in 123 Test matches. The 36-year-old had 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries to his name.

Ahead of the Test series against England, Sai Sudharsan may debut for India. Along with him, Arshdeep Singh is also in line to receive his debut Test cap. Sudharsan has emerged as a promising talent for Indian cricket and also has the experience of County Cricket. On the other hand, Arshdeep is being considered as a potential bowler to play a supporting role for Bumrah.

It will be interesting to see if lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah plays in the first Test match against England. The pacer has been advised not to play consecutive Test matches due to his workload management.

India`s squad: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.

This article first appeared on Mid Day