4 PLAYERS WHO WILL BE DROPPED FROM THE INDIAN TEST TEAM

Karun Nair's return to the Indian Test squad after nearly nine years was one of the more emotional stories heading into the Anderson Tendulkar Trophy. A triple centurion in his brief early career...

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The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 came to a dramatic close with a 2-2 draw. While the result looks even, the story across five Tests tells something different. India won 33 sessions compared to England’s 21, with 18 shared. That means India played better cricket for most of the series. Still, they were just one shot away from losing 3-1. Given that, a drawn result feels like a win for the visitors. More importantly, this was India’s first series after the retirement of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin. Jasprit Bumrah played only three matches. Yet under new leadership, the team showed hunger, grit, and balance. Several fresh names stood up across difficult moments. Amid this exciting new phase, a few players might find themselves out of the picture for the upcoming home series against West Indies and South Africa. Not because they failed, but because the competition has grown sharper and the margins have become tighter.

Here are four players from the recently concluded Test series who are unlikely to be picked in the next India squad.

1. KARUN NAIR

Karun Nair's return to the Indian Test squad after nearly nine years was one of the more emotional stories heading into the Anderson Tendulkar Trophy. A triple centurion in his brief early career, Nair had gone back to domestic cricket and scored consistently for seasons. His selection was seen as a reward for perseverance and hunger. However, the four Tests he played in England did not do justice to that narrative. He managed just one half-century across eight innings and looked unsure against the moving ball. There were moments when he batted with intent, but the scores did not reflect that effort.