India announced their squad for the New Zealand Test series recently, resting a few of the usual names for the two-match series.

Given the tight schedule of the Indian team, first-choice players including Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Rishabh Pant and Rohit Sharma were handed a break. Regular skipper Virat Kohli has also opted out of the first Test. At the same time opportunities have been given to some of the reserve players.

And then there are those who have missed out on a place in the Indian squad. Given how deep India’s resources run, there were bound to be a few notable exclusions. Let’s take a look at some of the prominent names to miss out.

Prithvi Shaw

Test record: 5 matches, 339 runs @ 42.37, one hundred, HS:134
First-class record: 25 matches, 2,263 runs @ 51.43, 9 hundreds, HS: 202

Given what happened in Adelaide last year, a few might scoff at this suggestion, but it seems that the Mumbaikar has won the backing of the new team management for a fresh place in the red-ball setup. It showed with his selection in the India ‘A’ side for the tour of South Africa. If he does well in that ‘unofficial’ Test series, Shaw might find a place in the Indian side for the South Africa Tests.

Known for scoring at a brisk rate, Shaw might have been a great addition to this Indian Test line-up for the New Zealand Tests. While he hasn’t reached the ‘Tendulkar never fails’ stage of his career yet, Prithvi Shaw is steadily making a good case for himself across the formats.

Hanuma Vihari

Test record: 12 matches, 624 runs @ 32.84, one hundred, HS:111
First-class record: 94 matches, 7,261 runs @ 55, 21 hundreds, HS: 302

Perhaps the most contentious omission from the Indian setup, given that he had played a match-saving masterpiece in Sydney earlier this year. One’s not sure what exactly worked against Vihari, whether it was his Test average or his lack of recent cricketing experience.

His exclusion led to a number of queries, and soon enough the BCCI came up with an update.

🚨 UPDATE: @Hanumavihari has been added to the India 'A' squad for the South Africa tour. https://t.co/ISYgtlw1S1 pic.twitter.com/uy3UD1pCN5

— BCCI (@BCCI) November 12, 2021

While his selection to India ‘A’ side indicates that he’s still very much in the contention for an India Test spot, it is still baffling that a player with a first-class average of 55, and one who was a part of the national setup not long back has been excluded from the Test side without any solid reason.

Jaydev Unadkat

Test record: 1 matches, o wickets, Econ 3.88
First-class record: 89 matches, 327 wickets, Avg 23.21, BBI 7-41, Econ 2.94

The Saurashtra captain has been in news over the last few days for tweets showcasing his batting and bowling skills. When some weren’t sure as to what they might have seemed to convey, Unadkat gave a clarification.

The bowler has been in a rich vein of form in the SMAT 2021/22. And, the same goes for his first-class record. He has 327 wickets at an average 23.21, and was especially good in the last season of Ranji Trophy, taking 67 wickets in the 2019/20 season at an average of 13.23.

India have been without a regular left-arm pace option in Tests since the retirement of Zaheer Khan, and could’ve given a chance to the left-armer. His successful leadership for Saurashtra has shown that the 30-year-old is also a good student of the game.

Suryakumar Yadav

First-class record: 77 matches, 5,326 runs @ 44.01, 14 hundreds, HS: 200

Suryakumar Yadav might not have an exceptional first-class record, and last played a red-ball game in early 2020. His rich form led to his inclusion in the Indian Test setup for the England tour, where at one stage it seemed like he might even make his Test debut.

With a few spots uncertain in the middle order, it might not have been a bad idea to give a chance to someone like Suryakumar, who brings in the right intent and fearless approach into the side. Amongst his backers were the veteran players like Dilip Vengasarkar, and Farokh Engineer.

Now, he’ll need to make his case all over again in the next Ranji season, but India would’ve been served well with someone like him during the New Zealand series itself.