A look at Team India’s Test hopefuls waiting in the wings ahead of the 2025–26 home season. Checkout the top players eyeing a spot in the playing XI.
With Team India showing a powerful and impactful performance against England recently in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, the home Test season for 2025-26 is surely filled with hope and excitement to see them regaining their Test supremacy.
Also, with more young talents posing their candidature, the excitement only increases. Seven players in particular, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajat Patidar, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, and Harsh Dubey, stand tall on the threshold, waiting for their opportunity to shine on home turf.
Here’s a detailed look at their recent stats, the logic behind their candidacies, and the unique strengths they could bring to the evolving Test team of India.
Ruturaj Gaikwad
Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has proven himself in the IPL and domestic competitions, is making a strong push for Test selection. After averaging over 40 in first-class cricket for several seasons, Gaikwad’s consistency with the bat is his main asset. In 2025, he featured in five IPL matches, scoring 122 runs at a strike rate of over 150, with a highest score of 63.
Though he has played only six Tests so far, totalling 81 runs, his technique against both pace and spin, including his temperament, have Indian selectors viewing him as a potential opener during the transitional phase in India batting order.
His boundary-hitting prowess is reflected in his ability to strike a four every 10.3 balls and a six every 16 balls in T20s. These metrics, though drawn from the shorter formats, hint at his capacity to shift gears when required, a skill which is highly valuable in modern Tests. With the domestic season starting with the Duleep Trophy this August, selectors will likely monitor how Gaikwad converts his white-ball form into red-ball consistency.
Read More: Duleep Trophy 2025-26: Overview of zonal squads, schedule & players to watch out for
Rajat Patidar
Rajat Patidar has been another domestic stalwart, earning his stripes with great performances in the Ranji Trophy and IPL. Although his Test statistics currently stand at 8 matches with 70 runs, what stands out is his ability to anchor an innings and build partnerships, qualities vital for the middle order. Patidar’s 2025 T20 record features 1455 runs from 50 matches with 13 fifties and a strike rate of 127, showing his ability to adapt to high-pressure scenarios.
He is seen by the selectors as a ‘long-format-ready’ candidate and has delivered eye-catching performances against top state teams in domestic cricket. Patidar’s strong run in the IPL playoffs last season showcased his temperament and range, especially in crunch moments, shows that he is ready for bigger assignments at the Test level.
Ishan Kishan
Ishan Kishan, a left-handed wicketkeeper-batter, brings aggression and flair to the upper, middle and lower order, as he has showed his skills at several batting positions. In Tests, Kishan has played eight matches, scoring 136 runs with a highest score of 53. Notably, his fearless approach has paid off handsomely in the shorter formats, he smashed a double century in ODIs and maintained an IPL strike rate of 137.65.
Kishan was recently acquired by Sunrisers Hyderabad for a massive 11.25 crore in the IPL 2025 auction. While he was briefly dropped from the Indian annual contract list due to concerns over mental fatigue, Kishan’s commitment and ability to change the course of a match make him an exciting Test prospect as teams search for dynamic, quick-scoring wicketkeeper-batters.
Read More: Top candidates to assume the No. 6 spot for India in Tests
Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer, one of India’s most talented middle-order batters, remains a linchpin in discussions about the future batting core of India. He has already proven himself with scores amounting 603 runs from 16 IPL matches in 2025, showing remarkable consistency. Iyer was instrumental in India’s ICC Champions Trophy triumph in 2025 and was named Player of the Month by the ICC in March 2025.
Iyer’s ability to play attacking yet responsible cricket, combined with his leadership experience as IPL and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy-winning captain, make him a strong candidate for a permanent middle-order Test slot. His track record of scoring centuries against world-class attacks and handling spinners well is critical for Tests on Indian pitches.
Read More: Buchi Babu Trophy 2025: Schedule & players to watch out for
Sarfaraz Khan
Sarfaraz Khan is an outstanding run-machine in domestic red-ball cricket, with a recent first-class average of 65.98 and a series of milestones, including a triple century and several ‘daddy hundreds’. Despite being overlooked for the recent England Test series, Sarfaraz’s Test debut in February 2024 was stellar, as he made two fifties against England and followed it up with a gritty 150 against New Zealand in Bengaluru.
His rapid 138-run knock for Mumbai in the Buchi Babu Invitational was also a show to watch. Also, recently, Sarfaraz has shown his commitment to fitness, with a 17-kg weight loss in 2025, which addresses previous selection hurdles and strengthens his claim as a reliable, big-innings player capable of turning matches on their head.
Khaleel Ahmed
Khaleel Ahmed is one of promising left-arm pacers in India whose breakthrough performances in domestic competitions and consistent IPL stints have raised hopes for his Test debut. In the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season, Khaleel took impressive hauls, including a 4-fer against Railways and a 5-wicket performance versus Vidarbha. Over 71 IPL matches, he has claimed 89 wickets at an average of 26.16, showing improvement and control in the death overs.
Khaleel was a reserve for the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy and received his first India A call-up. His ability to swing the new ball and deliver crucial wickets during crunch moments could address India’s traditional need for reliable left-arm pace, especially in home conditions where seamers get helpful early-morning spells.
Read More: Top 5 emerging fast bowlers in India’s domestic circuit
Harsh Dubey
Harsh Dubey, the youngest name on the list, boasts the most remarkable domestic breakthrough in recent memory. The 22-year-old left-arm spinner from Vidarbha shattered the record for most wickets in a single Ranji Trophy season, bagging 69 wickets at an average of 16.99 in 2024-25, overtaking Ashutosh Aman’s previous high.
Dubey’s selection in the India A squad and his IPL debut for Sunrisers Hyderabad reflect his growing reputation. He finished his maiden IPL 2025 campaign with five wickets from three games at an average of 19.60.
The 2025-26 home Test season for India can be a defining period for these hopefuls. If their recent statistics and career trajectories hold, the India squad could soon see a new generation of stars, each with an appetite for runs, wickets, and the big occasion.
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