India vs New Zealand: Can Yash Dayal make his Test debut?

The Indian national cricket team is going through a transformation phase, with senior players either injured or rested in preparation for India's busy Test schedule leading up to the ICC World Test Championship 2025. During this period, the Indian team will play several home Test series, starting with Bangladesh, followed by New Zealand, and then Australia for the Border Gavaskar Trophy. Several players have impressed the selectors with their performances in India's domestic tournaments and the Indian Premier League (IPL). One such player is Yash Dayal, the left-arm pacer, who has been selected in India's Test squad for the 2-match series against Bangladesh, following his impressive showing in the Duleep Trophy. However, due to team combinations, he did not get a chance to play in the series.

Looking ahead to India's upcoming series against New Zealand, which begins next month, the question arises: will Yash Dayal make his Test debut for the Indian team? Dayal has been a topic of discussion in the cricketing world due to an unfortunate incident during the 2023 edition of the IPL. He was hit for 30 runs, including 5 sixes, by Kolkata Knight Riders' left-handed batter Rinku Singh in the final over of the innings. It was undoubtedly a bad day for the young bowler, who was playing his first season in the marquee event. After that heartbreaking match, Dayal was seen in tears and was subsequently released by the Gujarat Titans before the next season.

Despite being blamed for losing that game, the star bowler did not lose hope. In the following season, after being picked up by the Bangalore-based franchise, he made one of the greatest comebacks in cricket history. He took 15 wickets from 13 games, with best bowling figures of 3/20 against the Delhi Capitals. 

However, the highlight of his IPL career came when he defended 17 runs in the last over against the Chennai Super Kings, helping Royal Challengers Bangalore qualify for the playoffs. You might not know that Dayal holds an impressive record of 76 wickets from 24 First-Class matches. 

He was rewarded for his fabulous season with RCB in IPL 2024, as well as his strong showing in the Duleep Trophy, where he picked up 5 wickets in the only game he played – a sequence of performances that earned him his maiden call-up to the Indian red-ball setup. However, after not being selected in India's playing XI for the 2-match Test series against Bangladesh, the question remains: will he make his Test debut against New Zealand?

India will play a 3-match Test series starting on October 16, 2024. Considering India's playing XI, there is a possibility we could see him debut for the national team, especially if India leads the series 2-0. Alternatively, India might replace Akashdeep with Yash Dayal during the series.

India's probable playing XI vs New Zealand

Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Mohd. Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Dayal.