England v India Tests: Siraj, Hameed and other impact players flying under the radar

Several players will be waiting for an opportunity to make their mark during the five-match series

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  Mohammad Siraj: The young Indian fast bowler can, if need be, replace all three frontline Indian quicks – Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami. His control, swing and aggression are perfect for any condition

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  Suryakumar Yadav: A last-minute injury replacement for India, the Mumbai batsman has an impressive first-class cricket CV. Made his name in T20 cricket for Mumbai Indians, but is one of the more technically gifted batsmen in the country.

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  Shardul Thakur: An x-factor cricketer, Thakur comes into his own when conditions aid swing bowlers. If he gets an opportunity, will always be a threat as a seamer. Plus, a more than decent batsman.

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  Sam Curran: Was arguably the difference between the two teams the last India toured England, with is lower order runs particularly impactful. Now has a lot more experience under his belt and should be a greater threat with the ball.

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  Dom Bess: Moeen Ali has troubled India almost every time with the ball in English conditions. The current Indian line-up has an issue against quality off-spinners. Which means Bess won’t be just hit out of the attack. A big chance to shine, if he gets it.

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  Haseeb Hameed: When he made his debut in India in 2016, it looked like England had found a long-term opener. But a finger injury that very series sidelined him just when he looked set to dominate the international scene. After years of failures and doubts, he is back. And hopefully for good.

It's the start of the new World Test Championship cycle. For England and India, the upcoming five-Test series will show exactly where they stand after recent reversals.

Joe Root's England are not where they want to be in Test cricket. Under Root, England have lost four of their past five Tests and also saw New Zealand secure a Test series win in June - their first in the country since 1999.

India are not exactly flying either. They were easily defeated by the Black Caps in the World Test Championship final in June. And as much as captain Virat Kohli might want to blame the one-off nature of the title match for his team's shortcomings, the fact remains English conditions have been a challenge.

England enter the five-match series, which begins in Nottingham on Wednesday, without star all-rounder Ben Stokes who has taken an indefinite break from cricket to focus on his mental health. India have had a number of injury concerns, with Shubman Gill and Washington Sundar injured, and batsman Mayank Agarwal sidelined.

Even so, there is no dearth if quality on either side. Experienced players such as Kohli and James Anderson will be relied on to carry a bulk of the load throughout the Pataudi Trophy. However, there are other players who are not exactly superstars yet but can make a big impact if they get an opportunity. And in an ongoing pandemic, an opening is never too far away.

We have picked six such players in the gallery above - three from each team.