Three Indian Players Who Deserve National Call-Up For Limited-Overs
|By- Parshva Shah|
With a renewed structure and with former Indian legend Rahul Dravid at the helm, a lot of promising youngsters are entering the foray. Under-19 cricket has paid dividends in the last few decades. However, IPL too has played its part in blessing the Indian team with gems such as Jasprit Bumrah (scouted by Mumbai Indians’ John Wright), Yuzvendra Chahal, Hardik Pandya to name a few.
In recent seasons, a lot of uncapped Indian players have built a strong reputation for themselves. Some are seen as match-winners for their respective sides while the younger ones have an exciting future on their hands.
We take at a look at three such players who have performed well both in the domestic circuit and in the IPL and deserve to be called up for the limited-overs Indian squads in the near future.
Ishan Kishan
Ishan Kishan was the captain of U-19 side that lost the U-19 World Cup finals to a resilient Windies side in 2016. Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, and Khaleel Ahmed were a part of that squad too.
Kishan made his IPL debut in 2016 with the now-defunct Gujarat Lions side. In 2018, Kishan was bought for a whopping 6.2 Crores at the auction by Mumbai Indians.
He played as the first-choice wicket-keeper and was already a fearsome left-handed batsman who could bat anywhere in the top or the middle order. Since joining Mumbai Indians, Kishan has played 21 matches, scoring 376 runs at an average of 20.89. Although the numbers are mediocre, they do not justify the amount of talent the 21-year old possesses.
If Ishan can have a great IPL 2020 (if BCCI clears the IPL to happen), then he will surely land a spot in the Indian T20 squad as a wicket-keeper since neither Rishabh Pant nor Sanju Samson have impressed as the wicket-keeping backups to KL Rahul in MS Dhoni’s absence.
Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav has to be one of the best signings for Mumbai Indians since 2018. Being a local lad, he has imbibed the Mumbai Indians culture rather seamlessly, not to forget that he began with the Mumbai Indians during his younger days.
In two seasons, Suryakumar has scored 936 runs in 30 matches, scoring as many as nine fifties. He has become a valuable part of the Mumbai Indians setup and he can both open the innings and play as an anchor in the middle order, a testament to his versatility.
After being a consistent performer in the IPL and domestic circuit, there have been murmurs of selecting him for the national side. With ICC yet to decide on the T20i World Cup, Suryakumar could be given an opportunity if he delivers good performances.
Shreyas Gopal
Shreyas Gopal made the headlines for his impressive performances for Karnataka in First-class cricket, landing him an IPL contract with Mumbai Indians in 2014. However, the leg-spinner was a fringe player, and was given a chance to seek greener pastures after being released ahead of the 2018 IPL Auctions.
Rajasthan Royals, returning from a two-year suspension, roped in the-then 24-year old, and he featured in 11 games, picking 11 wickets. The 2019 IPL was where he really set the stage on fire, picking 20 wickets while playing all the 14 league games. He could not help his team clinch a spot in the playoffs, but he was one of the very few bright spots in a gloomy season for the Rajasthan Royals.
Having an action similar to legendary leg-spinner Anil Kumble, Gopal’s wizardry with the ball unearthed yet another talented wrist-spinner after the likes of Mayank Markande and Rahul Chahar, who have gone on to make their debuts for India in the shortest format.
At 26, Gopal can be the ideal leg-spinner for India if given a chance. For that to happen, he must continue to perform at the high standards he has set for himself.
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