Saurabh Kumar, Sarfaraz Khan, and Washington Sundar were added to the Indian squad for the second England Test after KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja were ruled out.
While Tamil Nadu's Washington Sundar is familiar with the national team setup, domestic veterans Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan and left-arm spinner Sourabh Kumar are rookies on the international stage. Sourabh Kumar, in particular, is a little-known name for most fans.
Saurabh Kumar, 30, has been part of the Indian contingent since the 2022 home series against Sri Lanka. Although there is no guarantee that the Uttar Pradesh spinner will make his debut in Visakhapatnam ahead of Kuldeep Yadav or Washington Sundar, it is certainly a level-up.
"It has always been a dream to be a part of the Indian team. I mean which cricketer wouldn't want that? A lot of things need to come together for it, but I have had a bit of experience," Kumar was quoted as saying by PTI.
The "experience" that Kumar mentioned was the opportunity to be a bowler at India nets during England's tour in 2021, the starting point of his upward journey.
"Not every day you will get a chance to bowl to a Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma, especially if you are a domestic player. They hardly play in the Ranji Trophy or other domestic matches because of national commitments.
"So, it was a chance for me to have a closer look at them and study how they approach their game and their other routines. It was a great experience to bowl to and interact with some top-level players. There was so much to learn from them," he elaborates.
Getting drafted in as a net bowler could be taken as a recognition of his consistency in domestic cricket, but even then, Kumar had to rise above a tall blockade.
In India, a first-class cricketer's career will generally hit the winter if he has not broken into the elite club of top players by Kumar's age.
But as someone whose life has been all about learning and hard work since 2014, Kumar was not ready to give up.
"Bishan sir (late Bishan Singh Bedi) used to tell me to keep working hard and be mentally ready to give my best whenever the opportunity comes. I never really keep myself away from nets or bowling," Kumar said.
He used to attend Bedi's summer camps in Delhi to finetune his skills under the observation of the master.
"Saurabh (Kumar) is a fantastic cricketer, a good reader of the game and situation. He knows how to adjust his line and length. He has got a lot of experience in bowling in these conditions and against some really good players in domestic cricket like (Chestehwar) Pujara or Mayank (Agarwal), who score heavy runs," Sunil Joshi, former India left-arm pacer and the current UP coach told PTI.
Kumar has also been a regular face in India 'A' tours. He played against South Africa 'A' at Potchefstroom in December and grabbed four wickets in the match.
He bettered that effort against the England Lions recently in Ahmedabad during the second unofficial Test.
In that match, Kumar took six wickets and scored 77 as India 'A' beat the tourists by an innings and 16 runs.
Joshi underlined his ward's growing prowess to contribute in all parts of the game.
"Yes, now, he has improved his batting also and can contribute some handy runs down the order, He is a real asset to any team," said Joshi.
The second Test between India and England starts in Visakhapatnam on February 2.