5 Indian players who have been sidelined in Tests currently

India’s Test squad is in a phase of hard choices. Selectors are balancing continuity with workload management and young bluds with senior experience. That leaves a handful of capable players waiting for their next red-ball chance. Below are five names who, for different reasons, are not part of India’s immediate Test XI or 15-man windows.

1. Abhimanyu Easwaran

Easwaran has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket and a regular in India A, yet he’s repeatedly missed out on final Test XIs. Most recently, he was left out of the 15-member squad for India’s home Tests against the West Indies. 

This is a decision the selectors defended by saying the team didn’t need a third specialist opener for this particular series. Easwaran continues to score in first-class cricket and for India A, but he remains a fringe option rather than a nailed-on Test pick.

2. Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer has asked for a break from the longer format to manage recurring back issues. The BCCI has acknowledged his request for a six-month red-ball hiatus, which rules him out of upcoming World Test Championship assignments and home Test windows while he builds fitness and endurance. 

That’s a clear, self-imposed sidelining rather than a straight non-selection, but its effect is the same: Iyer won’t be pushing for a Test spot while this break is active. He has also been in the team perspective for this format for quite a long time now.

3. Kuldeep Yadav 

Kuldeep’s case is quite different. He’s a frontline spin weapon who spent time off the field recovering from groin/hernia surgery earlier in the year and missed a significant Test series while rehabbing. He has worked back into fitness and limited-overs squads since, but that mid-season layoff interrupted his Test rhythm and left him fighting for an automatic recall in a spin-rich Indian setup. 

In short, Kuldeep was sidelined through injury this year and has proved himself as a clear match-winner in the opportunities he had, but is somehow failing to find a spot in the final XI.

4. Arshdeep Singh

Arshdeep has had several impactful moments in limited-overs cricket, especially in the T20Is. In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, he has been taking the lead role of the bowling attack and has been doing a great job as well. 

But when it comes to the Test side, he has somehow not been in contention with the Indian selectors much. Providing a quality left–arm seam option is a potent weapon, but somehow the team has been refraining from him. In the recently concluded England tour, he was picked in the squad but couldn’t make it to the playing XI.

5. Karun Nair

Karun Nair kept piling up runs in the Ranji Trophy and other red-ball competitions, but selectors were leaving him out of the team before finally picking him for the England tour. A challenging chance was provided, and the team backed him with four games, but he couldn’t make an impact. 

Due to this, he was left out of the most recent Test squads for the West Indies series. His omission from the latest India Test selection has prompted debate about role clarity and whether domestic form alone is enough to force a recall. For now, he’s a top domestic performer waiting for a pathway back into Test selection.

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