India National Cricket Team
Virat Kohli
Profile
A spunky, chubby teenager with gelled hair shot to fame after leading India to glory in the Under-19 World Cup at Kuala Lumpur in early 2008. In an Indian team filled with saint-like icons worthy of their own hagiographies, Virat Kohli, with his most un-Indian, 'bad-boy' intensity, would clearly be an outcast.
Grind through the ranks
He soon joined the senior Men in Blue in Sri Lanka, come August 2008. In the absence of the regular openers, Virat Kohli was given a chance to open the batting in the ODI series. He played some commendable knocks in his extended run as an opener, as India went on to win the ODI series. However, the established and formidable pair of Tendulkar and Sehwag kept Kohli out of the team
The 20-year-old continued to impress for Delhi and dominated attacks, clearly demonstrating that he belonged at a much higher level; that junior cricket was beneath his standards. Kohli then traveled to Australia in 2009 for the Emerging players tournament and stamped his authority all over the bowling attacks. He added 'big-match temperament' to his résumé too, lacing a fluent hundred in the final against South Africa, and guiding his team to a clinical victory. The young prodigy, barely old enough to receive his man-of-the-match champagne, ended the tournament with 398 runs from 7 outings with two centuries and two fifties, ensuring that he remained fresh in the selectors' minds.
Cementing a national spot
The selectors had no choice but to give Kohli another go in the Indian side, and this time he strung together a number of impressive scores. After being given an extended run, he repaid their faith by notching up his maiden ODI hundred in an impressive run-chase against Sri Lanka in December 2009 - his first of many exemplary knocks in run-chases. In the World Cup final of 2011, the biggest stage of them all, Kohli, along with his Delhi teammate Gautam Gambhir, pulled off a largely underrated rescue effort with an 83-run stand after losing the openers early. This knock played a crucial role in setting the platform for MS Dhoni's fabled knock of 91*, which eventually won India the World Cup on that enchanting evening in Mumbai.
In the hangover of the World Cup euphoria, Kohli continued to take giant strides in the limited-overs format. Three years after his ODI debut, he was finally handed the coveted Test cap in the Caribbean islands in July 2011, owing to the need to rest the senior players. After a series each against the Dukes ball and the SG ball, it was now time for his trial against the Kookaburra Down Under. In the first two Tests, he seemed to lack the technique to play in Australia, maintaining his low stance on the bouncy tracks. He also had a rather restricting trigger movement with his front-foot routinely coming across towards off-stump, thereby hindering the necessary movement to play back-foot shots such as the pull and the cut.
A baptism by fire Down Under
The selectors and the captain persisted with him going into the 3rd Test, and he delivered a break-through performance on a bouncy Perth wicket - an impressive 75 - where a visible change in technique was visible. He managed to stand tall, with a more open stance, and exhibited the back-foot shots in his repertoire during the course of the innings. The volatile Kohli managed to overshadow his impropriety in conduct with his performance in the final Test of the series. Notching up India's only century of a disastrous tour, Kohli was the shining light in amidst the chaos, as he stroked his way to a hundred in Adelaide exhibiting the will to improve and extraordinary focus under pressure in the searing heat and pressure of Australia.
While he grappled and clawed his way into the Test side, he went on a record-breaking spree in ODIs: the Indian record for the fastest to multiples-of-thousand runs in ODIs, culminating in the world record for the fastest to 9000 runs in ODIs. He was also the highest run-scorer for India in ODIs for three consecutive calendar years - 2010, 2011 and 2012 and won the ICC ODI cricketer of the year award in 2012.
That break-through innings…
We remember the accolades, but where did it all begin? There's always the one innings that made the world sit up and take notice; the 86-ball knock which he started off as a brash boy, but ended as a man. Chasing an improbable target of 321 off 40 overs to stay alive in the tournament, he laid into the Sri Lankan bowlers and carted his way to 133*, getting India home with more than 2 overs to spare, practically pulling them out of the airport after M.S. Dhoni rather ignorantly remarked that India had already been eliminated from the tournament.
King Kohli had arrived. The king of the run-chase, and a plethora of ODI records in the modern age.
Batting technique and idiosyncrasies
Kohli has a seemingly hot head on his shoulders, but he channels all his anger while he is batting. Known to be an aggressive batsman always on the lookout for runs, he has a fairly sound , albeit slightly unconventional technique, which makes him judge the length of the ball earlier than most, and amazingly quick wrists to run his hands through the ball, even against fast bowlers. He is equally adept against pace and spin, and never looks ungainly at the crease. With nimble foot-movement against the spinners, he is known to be quite destructive when the situation demands it. He has had to fill some rather big shoes of his predecessors, and has done an admirable job to say the least.
Captaincy and a change in technique
With regular captain MS Dhoni ailing from an injury, Kohli was named stand-in captain for the first Test at Adelaide. After an abysmal tour of England, critics were sceptical of Kohli's performance in Australia in the Border-Gavaskar trophy in December. Kohli proved that they couldn't have been more wrong, as he scored two fluent hundreds in the first Test at Adelaide. His second innings masterclass of 141 almost pulled off a stunning run-chase on a notorious 5th day rank-turner, and went on to score a total of four hundreds on this tour. Saying that he had silenced critics would be an understatement.
As India prepared for their title defence ahead of the 2015 World Cup Down Under, with the catch phrase 'Won't give it back' doing the rounds, Virat Kohli was touted to be a key performer for India. The Indians had a terrible run in Australia, having failed to win a single match in the Test series as well as the succeeding ODI tri-series. Kohli started off in signature fashion, with a typically stroke-filled hundred against Pakistan as India maintained their unbeaten run against their arch-rivals in ICC events. As India stormed into the semi-finals unbeaten, Kohli's form continued to take an uncharacteristic dip, culminating in a painstaking 1 in the semi-final loss against the co-hosts and eventual champions, Australia.
Kohli, the then full-time Test captain, toured Sri Lanka with a young side without the services of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, wary of the Sri Lankan spinners' fabled 4th innings con-job. After losing the first Test, Kohli's India recorded a dramatic come-from-behind win in the series, going on to win 2-1. Kohli continued to build on his auspicious start to Test captaincy as he led them to a rout of the South Africans on a series of rank-turners all around India. He had a quiet series with the bat, as the more stoic batsmen of his team took over. Nonetheless, the triumph took India to the No. 1 spot in the ICC Test rankings for the first time since they forfeited it to England after the forgettable white-wash in 2011.
He continued his emphatic run in T20 cricket (and running) like a man possessed though, thrashing boundaries with ridiculous ease. Despite an 89* in the 2016 semi-final against the West Indies (extending his inhuman run of form in the format), India's bowling panicked at a crucial stage. One had to feel sorry for him as he had to make do with the 'Player of the tournament' award for the second successive Twenty20 World Cup; a distinction he would've gladly exchanged for the elusive World T20 trophy. Kohli's thirst for runs showed no signs of slowing down as he looted a small matter of 973 runs during the 2016 edition of the Indian Premier League, the most (by far) by any batsman in the history of the tournament - as he led his Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) franchise to a runners-up finish.
However, it isn't beyond Kohli to prove his critics wrong yet again, as he continues to take criticism on his stride, setting new standards for modern batsmanship. And as a captain, he had his ups and downs, marred with a bit of controversy towards the end of his tenure. Kohli also became the first Indian, as well as the first Asian captain, to return victorious from Down Under when India won the 4-match Test series 2-1 (2018-19). Under Kohli, India also emerged as the number one Test side for five successive years (2016-2021).
The final frontier
In the first week of 2018, Kohli went on to lead India in South Africa, a few weeks after he tied the knot with Indian actress and long-time girlfriend, Anushka Sharma. India went on to concede the series in the first two Tests, but came back to win the third Test match on a difficult wicket. In a series full of difficult wickets, Kohli exhibited tighter technique than he had in England, and batted better than he did in his more prolific tour of South Africa in 2013/14. Kohli went on to conquer his (personal) final frontier in England later in 2018 too, scoring 593 runs in 10 innings, including 2 hundreds, and not conceding his wicket to his fabled nemesis, Anderson, even once. India went on to lose the series 1-4, and Kohli's record as captain was tainted by two consecutive Test series losses away.
Nevertheless, on a personal level, he had left no stone unturned to transform himself into the most consistent and versatile batsman of his age, and arguably the better of the Big Four. In October 2018, during the second of 3 consecutive hundreds against the West Indies in ODIs, he went on to become the fastest batsmen to reach the 10,000-run mark in ODIs, trouncing Sachin Tendulkar by a staggering 54 innings. Despite arguments about the two new balls, better bats, batting-friendly conditions, and more lethal bowlers, it was difficult to deny that this was a statistical outlier, very much along the lines of 99.94 - perhaps unlikely to ever be trounced.
However, being a cricket romantic (as we all are), as we reflect on his prolific international career (and with a plethora of records to be broken over the next decade) one must look back at the CB series knock that changed it all. On that fateful night at Hobart, Kohli had not only kept his team in contention, he had actually dragged a drained Indian side out of the airport. That night, at the Bellerive Oval, Virat Kohli transcended into a league of his own to etch his name in history - and a cricketing superstar was born.
IPL through the years
Ahead of the 2019 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Virat Kohli showed how much faith he had in the franchise by declaring that he would perhaps end his career with the Bangalore-based Royal Challengers. The only player to be a part of a single franchise for the entire duration of the tournament (right from the start of the cash-rich league in 2008), Kohli has developed an affection with the franchise and with the fans over the period of time.
Having been brought into the franchise as a young emerging player in 2008, Kohli's growth has been stupendous. He learnt under the wings of Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble, before finally establishing himself under Daniel Vettori. It wasn't a free-flowing start, in a team that was struggling to find the essence of the tournament, it wasn't a surprise that they had a struggling youngster in the midst. Having learnt the ropes in the first three-year cycle, it wasn't a surprise that he was the only player retained in 2011. The purple patch began somewhere around that region, he then proved it wasn't just a purple patch, it was a career that was beginning to flourish. Soon after, Kohli became the best in all aspects, not just white-ball cricket, but in the red-ball version as well.
It became a no-brainer when he was asked to captain the Bangalore franchise on a permanent basis from 2012 and it also translated into more consistency with the bat. Kohli soon turned into a fan favourite even as runs flowed from his bat and eventually becoming the leading-run scorer in the history of IPL. Circa, 2016 - the India and RCB captain blasted 973 runs - the most by any player in the history of the game and it included four hundreds - the most by a batsman in a single edition. Alas, all this didn't translate into a title triumph - one that has kept Kohli and Bangalore waiting so far (As of March 2023).
Rohit Sharma
Profile
Talent – an apparently heartening term that has followed Rohit Sharma around like a shadow; even haunted him at times. It seems to be a burden that the cricketing fraternity has enforced upon him and, after more than a decade in the national setting, he has been weighed down by the label.
Harsha Bhogle spoke of whispers in the domestic circuit; of coaches and scouts spotting the effortless, free-flowing stroke-play of a Mumbai teenager. Having cruised through first-class cricket, with an average well above 50, he shot to the limelight when he scored a brisk unbeaten triple-hundred at the Ranji level.
It all began after an injury to an in-form Yuvraj Singh in the 2007 World T20, when Rohit was called upon as a last-minute emergency replacement to play a league game against the hosts. After a lacklustre start to the Indian innings, the 20-year-old strode out into Kingsmead and stroked his way to a fluent half-century against the likes of Pollock, Ntini and Morkel as though he were having a net session. He showed startling maturity under pressure to survive till the end of the innings, escorting India to a respectable total that they ultimately defended, knocking South Africa out of the tournament in their own backyard.
Indian cricket-frenzy fans have a thing for like-for-like replacements. More specifically, they have a thing for spotting similarities with the days gone by. With an incessant obsession for stats, there lies a cricketing romantic who is struck by nostalgia when manifested with the idea of an elegant-looking batsman with free-flowing batting style from Mumbai. That's right – Rohit Sharma was touted to be the Great Sachin Tendulkar's long-destined successor at number 4 in the Test batting line-up. After all, it added up: so much time to play his shots, effortless stroke-making capabilities even against express pace, and a wide repertoire of shots. This had to be God's gift to cricket in the post-Tendulkar era, right?
Rohit was subsequently picked for the ODI team on a selection whim after his burst of vital performances in the World T20 and his impressive Ranji Trophy record. He made an impression in the CB series Down Under, playing some crucial cameos against stalwarts like Brett Lee and Stuart Clark, and a more-than-competent Sri Lankan attack. These inspired away performances in the World T20 and the CB series caught the eye of the selectors, and warranted him an extended run with the limited-overs side.
However, inconsistency and a knack of gifting his wicket away meant that he struggled to cement his spot in the side. Critics pointed out that he had too many shots for the same ball, and this meant that shot selection was becoming a bit of an issue for him. Furthermore, several experts spotted that he had trouble playing the short ball since his stance was too side-on and that he had no back-and-across trigger movement. His pedestrian batting average of 22 to go with a string of low scores and unconverted starts meant that he failed to cement a spot in the side for the 2011 Cricket World Cup squad...
Looking back at his career, Rohit Sharma would have the Indian Premier League to thank for keeping him in the reckoning and not being discarded liked several other young and talented cricketers who burst forth into national reckoning but couldn't make it big at the highest level. In the first two years of the IPL, his performance stood out, as he made over 350 runs each time for the Deccan Chargers and proved his worth to his franchise. He was then transferred to the Mumbai Indians franchise in 2011 and has been one of their most consistent batsmen over the years.
Rohit continued to oscillate in and out of the Indian eleven without being able to establish himself in the side, having been given ample opportunities despite a well-established Indian middle-order. Alas, after making it to the Playing XI for the Nagpur Test against South Africa in 2010, he was lamentably injured in a warm-up football game after coming heart-breakingly close to receiving the coveted India cap. He was subsequently ruled out of the series in a gut-wrenching turn of events, and wouldn't get another opportunity to prove his Test credentials for another 4 years.
Rohit's proved himself on the IPL stage again in 2011 and made a comeback into the ODI squad for the tour of West Indies where he scored three half-centuries in five matches. However, this turned out to be another false dawn as he followed it up with a string of low scores in the CB series in Australia and a nightmare tour of Sri Lanka with just 14 runs from 5 innings, including 2 ducks. He had already been given a more-than-extended run and was starting to build an unenviable reputation of a frustratingly fascinating player.
The generally fickle selectors, surprisingly, continued to back him. Eventually, due to lack of contenders for the opener's spot in ODIs, MS Dhoni, the Indian captain, decided to try him as an opener in the limited-overs' format.
The term 'masterstroke' has always been a bit of an enigma, historically being used in a vague, result-based manner. The move to promote Rohit Sharma to the top of the order has paid enough dividends for it to be termed a masterstroke – India had finally found a candidate for the opener's spot, and Rohit seemed to have finally scripted a turnaround after almost 5 years in and out of the side. With enough time to play himself in as an opener, Rohit and Dhawan formed a formidable opening partnership, playing a substantial role in India's unbeaten and successful Champions' Trophy campaign in 2013. Still, the talented tag followed him around, and Rohit – at long last – started to live up to it. In a run-fest of an ODI series against Australia, Rohit scored 491 runs in 6 outings, culminating in a violent 209 in the deciding ODI in Bangalore, joining a crème de la crème list of ODI double-centurions that comprised of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag.
With the retirements of stalwarts like Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, a new crop of Test batsmen needed to be honed, and opened up new avenues in the team. Rohit, at long last, earned the oh-so-desirable India Test cap against West Indies in the first Test at the Eden Gardens in his fabled 'predecessor's' farewell series. Rohit wasn't going to let this opportunity go begging and embraced the Test arena immediately, easing his way to a typically Rohit-esque 177 in his debut innings; a vital innings in the context of the match, dragging the momentum India's way. He reinforced his metaphorical statement to the selectors with an unbeaten 111 in the following Test, enchanting a tearful Wankhede in Sachin Tendulkar's farewell Test match and taming the West Indian bowling attack. After an injury-break, Rohit, as if to make up for lost time, ripped apart a hapless Sri Lankan attack on his way to a jaw-dropping 264 – wait for it – in an ODI at the Eden Gardens, making thirteen runs more than the entire Lankan team managed.
However, a worrying trend continued after the selectors picked him for the tour to Australia after his Kolkata epic: that of getting picked for away Test tours based on white ball performances in less testing conditions. He was picked after his 209 for the South Africa tour in late 2013 and looked technically inept in seaming conditions, committing to the line of the ball too early and playing as if it were a true wicket. His strength of picking the length early in ODIs was turning into a curse in Test matches. Similarly, having been picked for the tour of Australia on the back of his 264, he made just one fifty in 6 innings, looking completely at sea against the pace-heavy Australian attack, continuously playing away from the body, trying to hit through the line in conditions conducive to lateral movement and showing poor off-stump awareness.
Nevertheless he continued his golden run in ODIs, ending the 2015 World Cup campaign as India's second-highest run-scorer with a total of 330 runs, including a hundred in the quarter-final against Bangladesh to go with two fifties.
Rohit, the ODI player, finally delivered a break-through performance as an opener with an impeccable limited-overs tour of Australia in early 2016, making back-to-back hundreds and a 99 in the series and finally answering the faith of the selectors and his captain. He had become a one-day monster who developed a habit - started his ODI innings in a slow and steady manner, but could really lay into any bowling attack once he was in. With an extended home season, Rohit continued to get chances in Tests and showed vast improvement in his technique, playing closer to his body and preventing his ODI game to amalgamate with his more air-tight Test technique. With four fifties and a hundred in his last 5 innings, he capped off a fruitful home season with an unprecedented third ODI double-century against a woebegone Sri Lankan attack.
With gifted technique and languid elegance as his allies, Rohit found a route to consistency and has been a regular feature in the Test set-up since 2018. His white-ball, prowess, however witnessed yet another high in 2019 as he ended up as the highest run-getter in the ODI World Cup in England with 648 runs from 9 games at an average of 81 that included 67 fours and 14 sixes. Just over a month ahead of the 2021 T20 World Cup, Virat Kohli stepped down as T20I captain, and there were no qualms about who the next skipper was going to be, with Rohit Sharma being the ultimate favourite. A couple of months later, BCCI named Rohit as the ODI skipper for the tour of South Africa 2021-22. Having missed the entire tour due to injury, Rohit assumed the full-time captaincy in India's 1000th ODI in Ahmedabad (vs West Indies on 06 February 2022). A couple of weeks later, and on expected lines, Rohit took over the Test captaincy from Kohli and led India to series wins over Sri Lanka and Bangladesh (drew series with England in England 2021-22) thus far (As of March 2023).
IPL through the years
The IPL has done a lot for Rohit Sharma. When he was a young, talented batsman who struggled with consistency, the IPL gave him a ticket to stay relevant, and he grabbed it with both hands during his time with the Deccan Chargers from 2008-2010, scoring over 350 runs in each of the three seasons. Then the IPL took him back to his home of Mumbai, and Rohit couldn't have been happier. His statistics with the Mumbai Indians got progressively better from 2011-13, and eventually his best IPL season in 2013 - where he finished the tournament with 538 runs - coincided with MI's maiden title win.
And finally, the IPL helped unveil a leadership side to Rohit Sharma that has impressed a lot of people. Rohit led MI to five IPL titles which is an amazing accomplishment. Rohit is also among the all-time top run-scorers in the IPL, only behind Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan.
Shikhar Dhawan
Profile
Shikhar Dhawan shot to fame after an unprecedented run in the 2004 U-19 World Cup, where he scored 505 runs garnished with 3 hundreds. However, it took him a long while to make it to the Indian team due to the large amount of competition at the time. A naturally attacking left-handed opener, Dhawan had been one of the mainstays of the Delhi line-up for a long time and forms an impregnable top-order along with Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag, scoring runs by the barrel along with them. He was rated quite highly by experts for his ability to dig in and play the big innings.
After a string of excellent domestic performances, he was handed an India debut against Australia in 2010. He scored a duck and made no significant contributions for a while, as he continued to be the quintessential replacement player in the side. However, given the controversial axing of Virender Sehwag after the second Test, Dhawan was handed the desirable India Test cap to make his debut against the Australians in March 2013. He had a start that he wouldn't have imagined in his wildest dreams as he raced away to the fastest ever hundred on debut off just 85 balls, and continued to score at will on a docile Mohali surface. Shikhar Dhawan continues to hold the record for the highest score by an Indian on Test debut, smashing 185 runs before being dismissed in the first innings.
Dhawan had a purple patch in 2013, and continued his form in ODIs and emerging as the player of the tournament in the ICC Champions Trophy in June 2013. He blazed away to 363 runs in just five games, including two hundreds. When Australia toured India in October 2013, Dhawan was relentless in his pursuit of runs as he slammed a ton and two fifties, finishing with 284 runs in six matches. He continued his good run in the home series against West Indies as well, becoming the highest run-getter for India in the calendar year.
Dhawan had a dismal Test series against South Africa in 2013 and an even worse one in England in 2014, with a best of 37 in six innings, where his problems outside off were exposed, as he committed to the line of the ball too early, thereby ending up not accounting for the lateral movement and had a tendency of chasing the ball. He continued to struggle in Tests barring a rather scratchy 81 in the second innings of the Brisbane Test, Dhawan did not get any significant scores in the 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Due to his technical deficiencies, he forfeited his spot to KL Rahul. However, in limited-overs cricket, where the pitches are true and all is rosy, Dhawan continued to prosper.
Against all odds, Dhawan started off the 2015 World Cup with a fluent 72 against arch-rivals Pakistan and a glorious and skillful 137 at the MCG against South Africa, looking like a different player and playing all kinds of shots against the likes of Morkel and Steyn, helping his side gain their first victory over South Africa in a World Cup encounter. The pace and bounce of the Australian pitches appeared to have undone Dhawan, but the true bounce and the lack of lateral movement meant that he could get into his zone and start to play close to his body again, ending the tournament with 412 runs. Dhawan and Rohit managed to set the platform every time for three hundred-plus totals with their solid first-wicket partnerships.
Dhawan has struggled for form in the longer format, with some small chinks in his armour such as the tendency of poking outside off and playing beside the line of the ball at all times rather than over it. Some of the virtues that work for him in the limited form, such as playing close to his body, do not work for him in the longer format because of the parallax error that he undergoes since he doesn't get his eyes over the ball while playing it.
However, Dhawan continued to remain India's go-to man in ODIs and delivered another fine performance in an ICC event, making him a specialist for the big stage in the limited-overs format. Despite his limitations, his carefree attitude and his explosive off-side shots, one can't help but draw comparisons with another maverick opener from Delhi. The ability to peak during ICC events made him an almost indispensable asset to the side in limited -overs cricket - a rather theatrical oddity in his career with the utopian twist of opportune comebacks.
His luck though eventually faded out come the turn of the decade, with age and slowly down reflexes catching up to him. Although Dhawan was named stand-in captain for a few tours when Rohit Sharma was rested, he failed to set the stage on fire. A dipping strike rate and an inability to convert starts into big scorers consistently paved the path for Shubman Gill to be picked as ODI opener to pair-up with Rohit Sharma with Dhawan slowly being phased out.
IPL through the years
The Indian Premier League came at exactly the right time in Shikhar Dhawan's cricket career. He wasn't quite the star back then in 2008 but his credentials as a cricketer was good enough to earn him an IPL contract. Dhawan was picked up by Delhi Daredevils and he played in a star-studded team alongside Sehwag, Gambhir, de Villiers, Dilshan, and Collingwood in 2008. Shikhar batted at the vital number-3 spot and ended up as the third highest run-getter with 340 runs in 14 matches.
In a bizarre decision, Delhi let Shikhar go to Mumbai in the next season. And the move to Mumbai Indians proved to be a disaster for Dhawan. In two seasons for MI, Shikhar only played 15 matches. In 2009, he played 5 matches and averaged 10 and in the next edition, he could only make 191 runs in 10 matches. After two dismal seasons, Dhawan moved to Sunrisers Hyderabad and that decision transformed Shikhar's career, he found back his consistency and became one of the key assets for Deccan Chargers first and then for Sunrisers Hyderabad. Soon, he was selected for the Indian team and since then he has been one of the top performers for India as well as for his IPL franchise.
Ahead of the 2019 IPL auctions, Shikhar was traded by Sunrisers Hyderabad. They sold him to Delhi and in return got Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, and Shahbaz Nadeem. So, after a gap of 11 years, Shikhar went on to represent the Delhi franchise once again and ended the first season as the leading run getter for the Capitals, with five fifties to his name. The 2020 season was no different, in fact it proved to be better for Shikhar Dhawan as he ended as the second highest run scorer in the competition, as he scored his first IPL ton and then became the first player ever in IPL history to record back-to-back hundreds. Dhawan’s efforts helped DC reach the final, where they were beaten by arguably the best franchise side ever assembled in Mumbai Indians.
In the 2021 season, Dhawan still remained the top run getter for Delhi Capitals, but his average dipped a bit and he could only manage three fifties that season. Ahead of the mega auctions, Dhawan was released with the franchise opting to retain younger players. Dhawan was the first player picked in the mega auction, with Punjab Kings raising their baton for him. He struggled to match his lofty standards in the 2022 season, as he was transitioning to become more of an anchor player. Nevertheless, he was top scorer for PBKS and he was subsequently retained and also made team captain for the next season with Mayank Agarwal being released.
World Cup through the years
The Ultimate ICC event player. Shikhar Dhawan is the individual equivalent of the Australian team post the 1999 World Cup - regardless of merit or form, he has a knack of attaining his peak form just before World events. Such was the case ahead of the 2019 World Cup, where an incredible IPL season a few months earlier made him the mainstay for the International side. Dhawan started with a bang, as he scored a sensational match-defining hundred against Australia in the group stages despite nursing a finger injury sustained during the match. That finger injury proved to be a fracture which ruled out Dhawan from the World Cup, with KL Rahul being asked to deputize as opener for the rest of the tournament. In India's 2015 World Cup campaign, Dhawan was the team’s highest run-getter with 412 runs, scoring at an average in excess of 50, with two crucial knocks in pressure games against major teams - 137 against South Africa, and a useful 73 against Pakistan.
Shubman Gill
Profile
Shubman Gill is the latest prodigy of India's familial batting production line. He shot to fame with 418 runs at an average of 104.50 in the 2018 ICC U19 World Cup, where he served as Prithvi Shaw's deputy and batted at No. 3 to play a crucial role in India's record fourth world title. Also the edition's Player of the Tournament, Gill was a favourite in the 2018 IPL auctions and was picked by Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 1.8 crore (USD 280,000).
Born in Fazilka, Punjab, Gill's precocious talents found an early fan in his father, Lakhwinder Singh, who shifted base to Mohali and rented a place near the PCA Stadium so that his son could grow up with better access to cricket. And it wasn't long until Gill started grabbing headlines. He scored 351 in Punjab's Inter-District U16 tournament in 2014, racking up an opening stand of 587 with Nirmal Singh, and then went on to strike a double hundred in his U16 debut for Punjab at the 2016 Vijay Merchant Trophy.
Gill made his List A debut for Punjab in the 2016-17 Vijay Hazare Trophy, batting one-down, and went on to make his first-class debut in the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy against Bengal, where he batted as an opener to score his maiden half-century and stepped it up in just the next game with a maiden hundred against Services.
Gill won the BCCI award for the Best Junior Cricketer for consecutive years in 2013-14 and 2014-15, knocking hard on the doors of the U19 team. When picked, Gill starred in India's handsome 3-1 win at home over England in the Youth ODIs, scoring 351 runs in 4 innings and then went on to match up to his high standards in his first tour of England soon after. India whitewashed the hosts 5-0 and Gill top-scored again with 278 runs across 4 innings.
Gill easily looked the best batsman among his colleagues at the World Cup, comfortably overhauling even Prithvi Shaw, the 18-year-old Mumbai batsman who had the media houses buzzing with a whooping five first-class hundreds to his name. Gill's bottom-handed technique, made fashionably successful by Virat Kohli among many others, allowed him to play in a similar mould. He scored runs briskly, mixing quick singles and doubles with powerful hits across the ground, and stood out as much for his batting acumen as he did for his fielding prowess.
Once back from the World Cup in New Zealand, Gill soon found himself returning to the unglamorous grind, representing Punjab in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He started the tournament with modest scores of 25, 4 and 8 but soon recovered, flaying a match-winning 123 against a rampant Karnataka side.
Strong showings in the 2018-19 domestic season meant that Gill was seamlessly transitioning into being a senior India player. He even looked unnerved on the big stage of the IPL, despite batting out of position for the Kolkata Knight Riders. 2019 has turned out to be a potential career-turning year for the
Punjab youngster who first got picked for the ODIs in New Zealand where he also made his international debut.
With India facing the eternal number-four issue, many felt Gill would be punted with the World Cup not far away but after a handful of games (that too on extremely tough surfaces), he found himself out of the squad. Of course, the selectors and he himself knew that age is on his side and that his time would come. In the 2019 IPL, he batted in the top order and on expected lines, managed to create a bigger impact. However, it’s his exploits in red-ball cricket that’s convinced people of his completeness as a batsman. By churning out runs for fun in his brief First-class career thus far, Gill has now staked a claim for a spot across formats and has rightly been picked as a back-up opener for the home Tests against South Africa
Chances were limited in the beginning, but Gill was pushed into the deep end when he was asked to open the batting Down Under with Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood breathing down his neck. Gill gave a good account of himself, scoring a vital 91 in that famous Gabba Test which India won to claim the series 2-1 despite missing plenty of their first team regulars.
He was soon reintegrated into the red ball team, with a spot opening up for him at the top of the order as age caught up to Shikhar Dhawan. He scored his first ODI hundred in August, 2022 against Zimbabwe and later that year notched up his first Test ton in an away series against Bangladesh.
2023 proved to be Shubman Gill’s year, as he swapped hats from being a prodigious talent to becoming the man of the moment. He made his T20I debut early in January, and later in that month itself scored his first century in the format, becoming the fifth Indian to have recorded centuries in all formats. Gill was scoring runs for fun in the first half of the year, and had a glorious IPL as well. He was the leading run scorer for the 2023 season, with a whopping 890 runs which included 3 centuries.
Many expected Gill to carry that momentum into the World Cup, but his form tapered off slightly as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer took center stage for India in that tournament. Nevertheless, Gill scored an impressive 354 runs in the World Cup with four fifties to his name. Post the World Cup, Gill has struggled to match up to his incredibly high standards, having a mediocre series away to South Africa.
Still early days in his career, but the swashbuckling opener from Punjab is already being tipped as the next best thing in cricket, the flagbearer for India across formats in the years to follow.
Shreyas Iyer
Profile
Early Days
At the institutional hub of Indian cricket, the Shivaji Park Gymkhana in Mumbai, Pravin Amre spotted a boy, not even in his teens, timing strokes against pacers twice his height off the front foot and the back foot. He nailed the cover drives and pulls with equal disdain and immediately caught the eye. This raw and evident talent was honed by the keen eye of Pravin Amre after this.
The Grind of Domestic Cricket
Having decimated bowling attacks in his college days, Iyer found a spot in the Under-19 World Cup of 2014. After a lackluster performance on the slow-ish tracks, Iyer was sent to play for the Trent Bridge cricket team in England. With the ball coming on to the bat, Iyer took full toll and shot to the limelight, scoring 297 runs in 3 innings at a Bradman-esque average of 99.
The Trent Bridge stint gave his confidence the activation energy to go on and deliver stand-out performances in the domestic tournaments to follow. He averaged more than 50 in the Vijay Hazare trophy and Ranji Trophy that followed, scoring an incredible 809 runs at 50.56 in his maiden Ranji season. In the subsequent Ranji seasons, his volume of runs bordered on the ridiculous as he amassed 1321 runs in the 2015/16 edition including 7 fifties and 4 hundreds and an unprecedented average of 73.39.
The X-factor and rise to fame
His strike-rate was even more eye-catching and he immediately drew comparisons to legendary Indian batsman Virender Sehwag for his fearless and dominating stroke-play, and more specifically, his hand-eye coordination, even against abrupt lateral movement.
Technique
Iyer’s technique is a typical stroke-player’s technique, built on picking up the line and length early and playing through the line of the ball. However, the trade-off to that technique is committing to the line of the ball early and having too many shots for the same ball. For this reason, Iyer did have a few iffy innings in the 2017/18 Ranji trophy with the ball nipping about off the seam and was beaten and dismissed on bowling-friendly surfaces to shots more suitable on true wickets. However, with age on his side, he has enough time to work on his flaws and cover up the chinks in his armor in the near future.
Rise to International cricket: what the future holds
After scoring a 202 off 210 balls in the practice match against Australia in the lead-up to the home series against them in early 2017, the national selectors could no longer remain oblivious to Iyer and he was selected in the Test squad to replace an injured Virat Kohli. He did not receive a Test cap, however, but was rewarded with a spot in the limited-overs XI in late 2017. His opportunities in these matches don’t offer a large enough sample space to make a judgement about his ability, but given the stats and his attacking stroke-play, he looks like he has the potential to become a future superstar in Indian cricket.
IPL through the years
Shreyas Iyer got a whopping 2.6 Crores from a base price of 10 Lakhs and attained the distinction of being the highest-earning uncapped player of the 2015 auction - the IPL lingo for the most sought-after uncapped player. Pravin Amre, the assistant coach of Delhi Daredevils at that time was responsible for bringing Iyer to Delhi. Iyer didn't let his childhood coach down. He was the talk of the town after scoring 439 runs in the tournament, earning himself the emerging player award and showcasing his aggressive style of play and knocking on the selectors’ doors for an India call-up.
However, the 2016 season was a stark contrast for Iyer as he only made 30 runs in the six innings that he represented Delhi in. The Mumbai lad got his groove back in the 2017 season and managed to score 336 runs with the highest score of 96. But the 2018 season proved to be a breakthrough one for Iyer, he was consistent throughout the season and halfway through the campaign, he became the captain of Delhi after Gautam Gambhir dropped himself from the team. In 2019, Iyer will not only be looking to have a good season as a batsman but also as a skipper. A sensational season might just bring him back in the reckoning for the Indian team for the World Cup.
At the institutional hub of Indian cricket, the Shivaji Park Gymkhana in Mumbai, Pravin Amre spotted a boy, not even in his teens, timing strokes against pacers twice his height off the front foot and the back foot. He nailed the cover drives and pulls with equal disdain and immediately caught the eye. This raw and evident talent was honed by the keen eye of Pravin Amre after this.
The Grind of Domestic Cricket
Having decimated bowling attacks in his college days, Iyer found a spot in the Under-19 World Cup of 2014. After a lackluster performance on the slow-ish tracks, Iyer was sent to play for the Trent Bridge cricket team in England. With the ball coming on to the bat, Iyer took full toll and shot to the limelight, scoring 297 runs in 3 innings at a Bradman-esque average of 99.
The Trent Bridge stint gave his confidence the activation energy to go on and deliver stand-out performances in the domestic tournaments to follow. He averaged more than 50 in the Vijay Hazare trophy and Ranji Trophy that followed, scoring an incredible 809 runs at 50.56 in his maiden Ranji season. In the subsequent Ranji seasons, his volume of runs bordered on the ridiculous as he amassed 1321 runs in the 2015/16 edition including 7 fifties and 4 hundreds and an unprecedented average of 73.39.
The X-factor and rise to fame
His strike-rate was even more eye-catching and he immediately drew comparisons to legendary Indian batsman Virender Sehwag for his fearless and dominating stroke-play, and more specifically, his hand-eye coordination, even against abrupt lateral movement.
Technique
Iyer’s technique is a typical stroke-player’s technique, built on picking up the line and length early and playing through the line of the ball. However, the trade-off to that technique is committing to the line of the ball early and having too many shots for the same ball. For this reason, Iyer did have a few iffy innings in the 2017/18 Ranji trophy with the ball nipping about off the seam and was beaten and dismissed on bowling-friendly surfaces to shots more suitable on true wickets. However, with age on his side, he has enough time to work on his flaws and cover up the chinks in his armor in the near future.
Rise to International cricket: what the future holds
After scoring a 202 off 210 balls in the practice match against Australia in the lead-up to the home series against them in early 2017, the national selectors could no longer remain oblivious to Iyer and he was selected in the Test squad to replace an injured Virat Kohli. He did not receive a Test cap, however, but was rewarded with a spot in the limited-overs XI in late 2017. His opportunities in these matches don’t offer a large enough sample space to make a judgement about his ability, but given the stats and his attacking stroke-play, he looks like he has the potential to become a future superstar in Indian cricket.
IPL through the years
Shreyas Iyer got a whopping 2.6 Crores from a base price of 10 Lakhs and attained the distinction of being the highest-earning uncapped player of the 2015 auction - the IPL lingo for the most sought-after uncapped player. Pravin Amre, the assistant coach of Delhi Daredevils at that time was responsible for bringing Iyer to Delhi. Iyer didn't let his childhood coach down. He was the talk of the town after scoring 439 runs in the tournament, earning himself the emerging player award and showcasing his aggressive style of play and knocking on the selectors’ doors for an India call-up.
However, the 2016 season was a stark contrast for Iyer as he only made 30 runs in the six innings that he represented Delhi in. The Mumbai lad got his groove back in the 2017 season and managed to score 336 runs with the highest score of 96. But the 2018 season proved to be a breakthrough one for Iyer, he was consistent throughout the season and halfway through the campaign, he became the captain of Delhi after Gautam Gambhir dropped himself from the team. In 2019, Iyer will not only be looking to have a good season as a batsman but also as a skipper. A sensational season might just bring him back in the reckoning for the Indian team for the World Cup.
Manish Pandey
Profile
Manish Pandey - a name that will forever be remembered as the first Indian player to score a century in the world’s most lucrative league - an unbeaten 114 off 73 deliveries to propel the Royal Challengers Bangalore into the knockouts of the 2009 edition of the Indian Premier League. The teenager shot to limelight, courtesy the aforementioned hundred in South Africa, and was immediately looked upon as a potential limited-overs option for India.
Pandey has since been a vital cog for the Karnataka domestic side. A flamboyant stroke maker in the middle-order, Pandey rose through the ranks after starting off with Mysore in a state-level tournament. He was later scouted to play for the India Under-19 team in 2008 under Virat Kohli. He wasn’t particularly impressive in India’s victorious U-19 campaign.
Nevertheless, he fast established himself with his swift batting and his breathtaking fielding in domestic cricket, proving that he was no one-match wonder. He had a breakthrough Ranji season in 2009-10 with 882 runs, ending up as the highest run-getter including four 100s and five 50s at an average of 63, showcasing his consistency and appetite for runs. He had a memorable, albeit heart-breaking end to the season, when he fell agonisingly short of taking Karnataka to victory over Mumbai in the final of the Ranji Trophy. His exemplary 144 in the fourth innings, though, was soaked in grit and character and was etched in the memory of the selectors even though Karnataka fell short by 6 runs to lose a final for the ages.
Pandey had a match in which he could not be kept out of the action, and put on a one-man show as only one other batsman managed to cross the 50-run mark. In addition, Pandey took a breathtaking catch to dismiss Abhishek Nayar - one that went viral on social media. It was a vital wicket in the context of the game and certainly made the selectors sit up and take notice of a young man who had exhibited impressive big-match temperament. An India call-up seemed imminent.
He was subsequently picked in the Board President's XI to play against a touring South African side in early 2010, scoring a fluent 43, but fell out of the national radar for a while after that. Pandey was back to his domestic antics in the 2013-14 Ranji season and became the second highest run-getter for his side.
Pandey's role model is Rahul Dravid, and the youngster has gone on record saying that he feels much indebted and inspired by the senior batsman. Pandey's batting though, contains more strokes and flamboyance, his trademark shot being the swat-flick, which he uses to good effect to while slogging as well as whilst rotating the strike.
Alas, with the 2015 Cricket World Cup came round the corner and with a settled batting order, India resisted the temptation of trying out new players and decided not to tinker with the combination, leaving fringe players like Manish Pandey out of contention.
However, after India’s unsuccessful title defence, India started to test their bench-strength, and Manish was handed a debut during the ODI tour of Zimbabwe in mid-2015. He grabbed his opportunity with both hands, scoring 71 in his maiden innings. Nevertheless, his match-winning 104* against Australia at the (SCG) in January 2016 brought him into the limelight. He made the world sit up and take notice of him; he had made a statement that he had the temperament for the big stage, even at the international level.
Manish once again had a lean patch against New Zealand in October 2016, but was named in the 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy in June 2017, in a show of faith by the selectors. However, as fate would have it, he injured himself during the IPL and regrettably missed out on his first ICC event for India. However, the selectors persisted with him and a good tour of South Africa with the 'A' team ensured that he was back in their plans - when the squad for the ODI series in Sri Lanka was announced.
Pandey fast established himself as a reliable stroke-maker in the middle-order but continued to struggle to break into the Indian team. Disappointment awaited at the 2019 World Cup as well with him being left out of the squad. However, he continued to be a mainstay for Karnataka across formats and has also captained them on occasion.
He was recalled to the national setup for a series against Sri Lanka in 2021 but he was part of a side that was primarily made up of fringe players with of the regulars being rested.
IPL through the years
Manish Pandey plays the role of a floater in the IPL, a batter who is adaptable across the top- and middle-order in terms of batting. He was first picked for the Mumbai Indians in the inaugural season of the IPL and had a rather quiet season with the bat, and was eventually released by the franchise and signed by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for the 2009 season. It is for the RCB, that Pandey created history, scoring the first IPL hundred by an Indian in the 2009 edition of the league in South Africa. He was retained by the franchise by the 2010 season, but was released in the next season after he failed to turn out any performances of note. After three quiet seasons with the wildly unsuccessful franchise, Pune Warriors India, Manish Pandey was picked up by the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014, and he picked the perfect time to dish out a match-winning innings - the final of the tournament. He scored 94 in the final to trump Wriddhiman Saha's hundred, beating the Punjab franchise and helping them coast to their maiden title.
Thereafter though, Pandey once again struggled for consistency and he was released by the Knight Riders in 2018, before being signed by the Sunrisers. He had a torrid season with the bat in 2018, but the franchise showed trust in him going into the 2019 season and he had decent returns that continued through to the next year as well. 2021 saw Pandey slowly being pushed out of the side by upcoming talent as he featured in just 8 of his side’s 14 matches and 2022 saw Pandey’s performance dip to all-time lows. In the 6 games he played, Pandey scored just 88 runs at an average of 14.67 - prompting SRH to first drop him from the XI before going on to release him from the side. He was picked up by the Delhi Capitals for INR 2.4 crore in the 2023 IPL Auction.
Mayank Agarwal
Profile
Ever since Virender Sehwag happened to Indian cricket, his impact on upcoming openers in the country was immense. Some modelled their technique around him while most of them wanted to mould their style of play on similar lines. Mayank Agarwal belongs to a blend of these two categories. From his early teenage days, there was immense adulation for strokeplay and elegance that he brought to the table. A stellar performance in the U19 World Cup saw him hog the limelight for the first time and although India were disappointing in the tournament, there was a lot of hope around this man's future.
Mayank started off his domestic career in the T20 format initially in 2010, due to his dashing batsmanship and the IPL contract happened in 2011. Things were happening at a brisk pace for him and it was only a matter of doing the right things from there on. However, the performances were underwhelming to say the least in the IPL while on the domestic front, the numbers were better albeit still nowhere near his true potential. There were flashes of his caliber in display everywhere but also the frustration when he would inevitably throw away a start. Nevertheless, his white-ball game was definitely showing a steady progress.
In the 2014-15 season, Mayank got plagued with fitness issues as the management was clearly not happy with his physique. The result was more focus on training and this in turn apparently helped him up his mental game as well. Trim and in shape, Mayank seemed confident than ever before but it required a career-changing season from somewhere to spike his path forward. That happened in the 2017-18 Ranji Season when he simply went berserk, plundering over a 1000 runs and went on to top the run charts. It was a phenomenal transition to his red-ball game and needless to say, the confidence oozed into the white-ball tournaments where he was already on the rise.
All these performances didn't go unnoticed as he got picked up by the Kings XI Punjab at the 2018 IPL auctions. Many feel that the 2017-18 domestic season may have finally seen the coming of age of Mayank Agarwal. Although in this day and age, competition for spots in the Indian team, particularly in batting gets way too tough, a call up will definitely happen. More so considering the value given to domestic performances by the national selectors in the recent past. However, a one-off season won't do for Mayank, he has to keep the good work flowing and a good IPL season may help.
IPL - Through the years
What do you do when you face the great Muttiah Muralitharan for the first time? A 20-year-old Mayank Agarwal slog-swept him first ball for a six on IPL debut playing for his home franchise - Royal Challengers Bangalore - in 2011. That’s how the flamboyant Karnataka top-order batsman announced his arrival to the IPL arena. An aggressive batter, Agarwal was never afraid to go after the bowlers - even against the best in the business. He notched up his maiden fifty (at a strike-rate above 200) against a strong Mumbai Indians’ Lasith Malinga & Co, a knock which comprised six fours and four sixes. Despite possessing most of the attacking shots, one thing that’s been missing from Agarwal is consistency. It took him close to three years to register his second IPL half-century.
Mayank Agarwal represented Delhi Daredevils from 2014-2016, with his second year being the most productive for the franchise. Ahead of the 2017 season, he was traded to Rising Pune Supergiant, but he took part in just three matches and was dropped from the playing XI on the back of poor outings. Following his incredible domestic season, Kings XI Punjab roped in Agarwal during the 2018 IPL Auction. However, he couldn’t translate that success in the cash-rich league as he amassed just 120 runs in 11 matches.
Post IPL 2019
With Indian skipper Virat Kohli insisting that the performances of players playing in the IPL wasn't going to be considered in picking the World Cup squad, despite Mayank's mediocre outing for KXIP, he got rewarded purely based on merit and boarded the flight to the United Kingdom as Vijay Shankar's replacement for the later half of the tournament. Shikhar Dhawan's injury meant that KL Rahul was pushed up the order to open the batting with Rohit. Although Rahul had unconvincing numbers at the top, the team management persisted with him for the Semi-Final against New Zealand - which saw the Kiwis emerging victorious in a tense clash. As a result, Mayank Agarwal's hopes of donning the Blue jersey was quelled for the time being.
But that didn't deter Mayank from scoring runs in the longer format. After a quiet West Indies tour, he was back to his indomitable best in the home series against South Africa. The opener racked up 340 runs - which included a century and a double ton - in the three Tests and was also the second leading run-scorer for India in the series behind Rohit Sharma.
Mayank didn't stop there. With the hosts wrapping up the third Test in 4 days, Agarwal dashed back to Bangalore to join his Karnataka team for the Semi Final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The right-hand batsman dazzled against Puducherry with an unbeaten 33-ball 47 cameo helping his side chase down a target of 224 comfortably. In the final too, 'Monk' as he's fondly called among the Karnataka camp contributed for his team with a stunning knock of 69* and Karnataka pocketed the coveted Vijay Hazare Trophy for the fourth time via the VJD method. With Rahul's form deteriorating, Mayank has put his case forward for the selectors as the third-choice opener for India in the shorter formats.
Prithvi Shaw
Profile
Prithvi Shaw is not the first young Mumbai batter to get heads turning in cricket, and he most certainly won't be the last. A precocious child prodigy, Shaw created a bit of a stir in the Indian cricketing fraternity with a manic display of batting in Mumbai's Harris Shield as a mere 14-year-old - an unprecedented 546, the highest score in any competitive cricket at the time in more than a century until surpassed by one Pranav Dhanawade in 2016. Since then, he was on the radar of several talent scouts in the Indian cricketing circuit. He didn’t disappoint the expectant aficionados of the game either, scoring truckloads of runs in school cricket and forcing his way up the ranks of junior cricket with the sheer weight of runs.
Having lost his mother at a young age, Shaw's responsibility fell entirely on his father, Pankaj Shaw, who gave up his business and moved to Mumbai from Virar in 2006 in a bid to get Shaw closer to the MIG ground in Bandra. In 2010, retired Mumbai spinner Nilesh Kulkarni spotted Shaw and got his sports management company to sign him up for INR 300,000 per annum. The off-field battles hardened young Shaw at a tender age and he clearly carried the latent mental toughness into cricket which translated into truckloads of runs at the first-class level.
Shaw was invited to play in the school circuit in England, and scored 1446 runs over a two-month period. Given the weight of runs, he knocked down the door into the realm of junior cricket in India and continued his rise up the ranks. Shaw has a god-gifted prowess of timing the cricket ball - with a low grip, and an extremely bottom-handed technique to go with a flourishing bat-swing reminiscent of a wizard brandishing a wand. An absolute joy when on song, Shaw has a penchant for timing the ball, a cool head on his shoulders, and a back-and-across trigger to aid his backfoot play, which can be a terrific gift when batting in bouncier conditions such as Australia. At a young age, his wizardry through the covers has turned out to be his Achilles' heel too, though he has ample time to work on his flaws. He has been bowled through the gate on a number of occasions as he has opened himself to drive through the off-side even when the ball is aimed at the stumps - particularly due to his backlift coming down from gully into a hands-through-the-ball drive, rather than a check-drive from first slip, leaving an inherent gap between his bat and pad for the ball to go through.
His stellar stroke-play, formidable footwork, and immaculate consistency made him play A division cricket at a tender age of 8-9. Unlike many Indian cricketers, he is decent against short-pitched bowling, though the quicker pitches in Australia have tested him more - particularly given his side-on stance which gives him a fraction of a second less to swivel into pull or hook shots. He is a bottom-handed player which allows him to be a fearsome cutter and effective puller, in general giving him lightning bat-speed through the line of the ball.
Shaw has shown unprecedented hunger for runs at every level of cricket he has played and has been touted as the next big thing in Indian cricket after Virat Kohli. The immense potential and consistent performance at the first-class level, and the fact that he has remained unphased through the adulation, earned him a spot in the Indian Test squad in England for the last two Test matches. Despite not making it through to the playing XI of either game, his wait finally came to an end as he debuted against the Windies in Rajkot on October 4th 2018, immediately scoring a swift 99-ball hundred against a potent bowling line-up and making a seamless transition into the gruelling world of Test cricket.
That success, however, was short lived. On India’s fabled 2020-21 tour to Australia, Shaw’s technical faults were exposed and he was dropped after scores of 0 and 4 in the first Test with the team favouring another flamboyant youngster - Shubman Gill. Shaw returned to national colours for a limited-overs series against Sri Lanka but he failed to impress. Coupled with injuries and issues with fitness, Shaw struggled to make it back into the national side in both red and white ball cricket.
IPL through the years
Prithvi Shaw for long has been touted as the next big thing in Indian cricket and judging by that Delhi bought him at an excellent price of 1.2 Crores. Initially, he wasn't getting an opportunity to be a part of the playing eleven but the poor form of Gautam Gambhir opened the door for Shaw. He made most of his opportunities and got Delhi off to brisk starts on most occasions.
Shaw started off well with a 10-ball 22 and a flurry of aggressive innings over the course of the season and ended up cementing his spot in the side, running riot in the powerplay, before Rishabh Pant could cut loose at the death. His best IPL came in 2021 when he scored 479 runs at an average of 31.93 while striking at 159.13 in 15 games. The following year saw him struggle for consistency and fitness again and he had poor returns.
Cheteshwar Pujara
Profile
There was a whisper in the cricketing fraternity in the early 2000s – a boy from Saurashtra had just scored a triple-hundred at the Under-14 level. Then there were sightings: the same boy scored a double-hundred against England at the Under-19 level. The whispers got more prominent as he began to torment bowling attacks on his placid home-ground in Rajkot, and almost forced officials to change the playing conditions, such was his run-making prowess at the Ranji level.
It was only a few years down the line that we came across small newspaper segments about the same boy with a squarer jawline and denser facial hair going by the name of Cheteshwar Pujara, scoring double-hundreds for breakfast and triple-hundreds for dinner at the Ranji level. After several years of being scoffed at for making runs on a flat Rajkot wicket, Cheteshwar Pujara started to seep into the minds of the selectors. In the minds of the India public, we had already found the natural successor to Rahul Dravid.
Armed with an atavistic batting methodology and mindset, Pujara brings the best of both worlds to the table. His focus on the longer format is a much-needed change in the current set-up of world cricket, where instant glory and quick money in franchise-based leagues is slowly taking over from an era when Ranji trophy performance was paramount. His comparison to Rahul Dravid, however, is more to do with his dogged mindset than his technique.
A phlegmatic and determined batsman, his technique is surprisingly bottom-handed, dependent on running his wrists through the ball, rather than punching it with his fore-arms. However, because of his straight-batted technique (coming down from first slip rather than gully), and his relatively young hands, he has managed to make it work by playing late and very close to his body.
Cheteshwar Pujara got his inevitable national call-up in the home series against Australia in 2010. After an unplayable grubber pinned him LBW in the first innings, he walked out to bat in the number 3 position in the second-innings, instead of his 'predecessor' Rahul Dravid, and made a fluent 72 on a tricky 4th innings run-chase on a dry and turning wicket in Bangalore, becoming the fifth Indian to score a 4th innings half-century on debut. Pujara was subsequently picked for the South Africa tour of 2010/11 and played in the 2nd and 3rd Tests. He didn't make any significant contributions, but made it clear that he had the grit to stay out there with the senior batsmen. He showed improvement while playing in the second of his two Tests, standing up tall to play Morkel and opening up his stance. However, a knee injury during the 2011 IPL ruled him out of contention for the Australia and England tours later that year.
He made a full recovery and made a comeback in the home season that followed. He wasted no time and accumulated a fluent 206* against England in the Ahmedabad Test and followed it up with a 135 in the Mumbai Test, fighting a lone battle while the other batsmen made playing spin seem like an alien skill. Pujara had finally gained momentum in Test cricket - a format he seemed destined for.
He continued to milk any bowling attack at home, continuing his penchant for 'Daddy hundreds' with a 204 against Australia in Hyderabad, and made a remarkable 4th innings 82* while opening in the Delhi Test to close out a run-chase. He seemed to be batting on a different wicket as his partners failed around him, as he helped India return the favour and seal a 4-0 whitewash against Australia at home.
Pujara's feats on his home turf were indisputable, but he did not have the weight of 'away' runs behind him to be termed a 'versatile' cricketer. He silenced all the cynics by showing dogged resistance on a seaming track and then going onto score a 153 in the first Test at the Wanderers against South Africa. The gritty batsman followed it up with a fifty in the succeeding Durban Test, against a supreme attack consisting of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander, confirming that he was no one-Test wonder. He couldn't replicate his score on the tour to New Zealand in 2014, but continued to show unerring grit and focus against some quality fast bowling, and continuing to do his job of blunting out the new ball.
With the rather large shoes of Rahul Dravid to fill, a poor run of form in England and Australia in 2014 saw Pujara lose favour with the selectors and he controversially lost his place in the Test side. He didn't look technically inept; in fact, he did the difficult part of the job by playing out the new ball and the seaming ball, paving the way for the middle-order to score – case in point, Ajinkya Rahane's memorable 103 at Lord's, thanks to a not-so-memorable 117-ball 28 by Pujara to play out the first session on a minefield of a track. Nonetheless, modern cricket is a game of numbers, and as a result, Pujara was subsequently dropped.
He continued to work on his game, however, and remained in the reckoning for a national comeback. He made the most of an injury set-back to Murali Vijay in the 2015 series in Sri Lanka, reminding the selectors of his mettle by carrying his bat through his epic unbeaten 145 on an uncharacteristically seaming wicket at the SSC, Colombo, paving the way for an Indian win in the decider. Pujara has raised the bar even further since then, hammering routine hundreds during India's long home season and the odd series in Sri Lanka and West Indies.
He has showcased his versatility in the limited overs formats too, scoring 346 runs at a stunning average of 116 in the 2006 Under-19 World Cup, ending up as the highest run-getter. He signed a contract with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League in 2008, and moved to Royal Challengers Bangalore for the 2011 season. However, due to lack of performances against the white ball and his reputation as an exclusive Test player, he was never given an extended run in the Indian ODI fold. Nevertheless, given the densely-packed cricket calendar, Pujara took Robert Frost's 'road less traveled' and continued to focus on his forte – Test cricket, even having a stint in the county circuit to improve his technique against the Dukes ball in England's distinctive seaming conditions.
Pujara is one of the modern rebels, in that he is a cricketing purist. His technique isn't the prettiest. The charm of his batting lies in the nostalgia of the years gone by: The survival instinct off a home-made technique containing all the essentials of batting, done his own way under the watchful eye of his father Arvind Pujara. Despite all the ridicule against the gigantic hundreds on Rajkot belters, the Pujaras persevered and reaped their rewards. At a higher level, when Pujara was dropped for the Gros Islet Test in 2016 for having a low strike-rate, Virat Kohli's exposure and struggle against the new ball raised a much-needed alarm and reminded the dressing room about the importance of Cheteshwar Pujara. He went on to score 1140 runs in the 2017 calendar year, having played 2 innings less than Steven Smith who finished top of the table.
All the scoffing naysayers have seen the truth: Cheteshwar Pujara is built on cricketing merit; spending more time in the nets than in the gym, focusing on a tailor-made cricket body rather than a beach body. With a lengthy away season coming up, Pujara will be a key player if India are to achieve success in overseas conditions, as he continues to do the thankless job of guarding the middle-order against the new ball. With a more mature head on his shoulders and a tweaked technique, it would come as a surprise to no one if he scored runs by the barrel.
A humble man, Pujara himself summed up his role in the side: 'When you're playing Test cricket for your country, you can't just play your natural game. You play the circumstances.' That, right there, is Cheteshwar Pujara for you in a nutshell – Team first, self later.
Ajinkya Rahane
Profile
A dressing room full of tattooed arms, gelled hair, peroxide highlights and dabbing twenty-somethings defines the post-Tendulkar era of Indian cricket. Amidst all the glitter and spunk of the youthful Indian dressing room, a quiet young man of short stature was the unlikely outcast.
Rahane's came out on top in his first encounter with international bowlers, easing his way to a 172 in a Duleep Trophy encounter against the likes of England internationals like Liam Plunkett and Graham Onions. Rahane then delivered a critical performance of undeniable prowess when he hammered two hundreds in the emerging players' tournament in Australia, proving his worth in adverse conditions, and reminded observers of the game of another teen-aged Mumbaikar, with a similarly punchy technique, who had taken a special liking to Australian pitches in 1992...
After his peerless performance in Australia, he was well and truly in the national reckoning. It couldn't have been timed better; in August 2011, the Indian limited overs side found itself in desperate circumstances after conceding the Test series 0-4 in England. With several players undergoing lack of form and ailing from injuries, Rahane was flown in for the T20Is against England. He responded immediately as a stand-in opener with a fluent 61 on T20I debut and 40 on ODI debut, showing that adaptability was definitely a virtue that he could be entrusted with. A compact technique was the call of the hour and he definitely had the skills to encounter the late movement, as opposed to several of his technically-inferior compatriots. However, he soon started a bench-warming spree that would last a few months after the regulars returned for the home season.
Following the retirement of stalwarts like VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid, the Indian selectors started the process of blooding the youngsters for the big stage. After a year in and out of the team, and 16 months on the bench, an injury to Shikhar Dhawan finally got Rahane the most desirable piece of attire in Indian cricket – Test cap number 278.
After a poor outing on Test debut, Rahane marked the beginning becoming India's most versatile and most needed player - their saviour in foreign conditions. On Boxing Day 2013, walked into Kingsmead at 199-4. Amidst a late-order collapse, he batted with the tail to end up on 51*, having countered a fiery Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander on a tricky surface to stretch the first-innings total to 334. In the second innings, with India reeling at 71-4, still trailing by 95 runs, Rahane scored a fluent 96 in a lone effort to rescue his team and emancipate them from their drought of away victories. He ensured that South Africa batted again, but only managed to stretch the lead to 58. India went on to lose the match, and the series, but they had unearthed a gem of an overseas player.
His technical nous, balance at the crease, and his compact technique were exemplary as he effortlessly checked his drives and played late without the wristy bottom-hand drive - a virtue lacking in most subcontinental batsmen of the generation. He had a pronounced forward movement and a front-on stance which was instrumental in making him a good short ball player - another skill most of his compatriots lacked.
Rahane went on to become India's most accomplished batsman overseas (along with Murali Vijay) throughout India's away season in 2013/14. After missing out in Durban, he scored his maiden hundred in Wellington on the tour to New Zealand on a seaming surface. On a garden of a seaming track in Lord's, he paved the way for India's first Lord's victory in 28 years (and their first major overseas win since Perth 2008) with a composed 103, getting himself on the honours board in the process. Later in the series, he continued to look the most technically-skilled batsman amongst his teammates - the rock that survived the English storm in the last three Tests. He ended the year with a magnificent 147 on a bouncy MCG strip during the Boxing Day Test against Australia, stitching together a 262-run partnership with Virat Kohli. This, on the back of an 81 on a seaming track at the Gabba, reinforced his reputation as the rock in the Indian middle-order.
After his hundred at Kingston in August 2016, Rahane now had a hundred in every Test-playing nation he had played in, except South Africa where he had a 96, and Bangladesh where he had a 98. However, despite being having an unrivaled away record relative to his peers, Rahane had a surprisingly poor record at home. He put all the naysayers to rest by stroking his way to two hundreds in the Delhi Test against South Africa in 2015, wrapping up a dominating win in the series against the Proteas.
Despite being a vital cog in the Test line-up, Rahane continues to go in and out of the ODI side. He did, however, do well enough to be given a ticket to the 2015 World Cup in Australia, where he performed admirably in the middle-order, playing a vital knock of 79 against South Africa in India's maiden World Cup win against them. However, he was dropped from the side on account of having a high dot-ball percentage late in 2015, and has since become a Test specialist for India. He does continue to get chances in ODIs as an injury-replacement, and has grabbed them with both hands. He was the highest run-getter in the ODIs in the West Indies in mid-2017; however, with the return of Rohit Sharma, Rahane was out of the ODI side again, owing to the lack of spots in the side and the established opening pair for Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma. However, he continues to be a vital batsman for the IPL franchises he has represented, including the Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, and Rising Pune Supergiant, the latter being his current IPL side.
Rahane saw a bit of a dip in form during the Ranji Trophy season of 2017/18, as Mumbai uncharacteristically failed to get past the quarter-final stages, scoring his first duck in Ranji cricket since 2008. His run of poor form lasted alarmingly long as he failed to make any significant contribution in the home series against a scarcely competent Sri Lankan bowling line-up.
After a barren run which saw him go 15 Tests without a ton, Rahane was dropped from the Indian team after the away series in South Africa in 2022.
IPL through the years
In the initial years, Ajinkya Rahane played for his native franchise, the Mumbai Indians. As he was a rookie uncapped player at that point, not many opportunities arrived and it was not until his shift to Rajasthan Royals that Rahane started to show consistency in the IPL. A steady opener who can find the gaps in the Powerplay and consolidate thereafter, he became one of the vital cogs around which the Royals batting revolved. The 2012 season was his breakthrough year in the tournament, amassing over 550 runs at a healthy strike rate, including his maiden IPL century. In fact, the years 2012-16 saw Rahane cementing his position as one of the most consistent performers in the tournament’s history.
Over the last couple of years, things have fizzled a bit for the Mumbaikar. The 2017 season saw him struggle throughout the tournament, resulting in his worst-ever tally since 2014 as a senior cricketer. The story was pretty similar in 2018 too, with the burden of captaincy further proving difficult for Rahane to handle. He opened the innings for a major part of the tournament but with his form a concern, he even shifted to number three to allow the more aggressive Rahul Tripathi to partner Jos Buttler at the top.
Ahead of the 2023 auction, Rahane was brought for INR 50 Lakh by CSK.
Ruturaj Gaikwad
Profile
A free-stroking opener whose game revolves around a fluid technique, Ruturaj Gaikwad first burst into the scene during the 2016-17 Vijay Hazare Trophy when he ended as the third highest run-scorer in the tournament. His ability to be solid and play risk-free cricket, and yet score at a fair clip caught attention immediately. Right from his childhood days, Ruturaj was a prodigy who was tipped to make it big. He rose through the age group system of the Maharashtra team, and consistently made it to the India A side as well.
As of now, his success rate has been much higher in List A, where he is consistent and also makes his runs at a healthy strike-rate. However, given his temperament and technique, Ruturaj should be able to better his already reasonable returns in First-class cricket. His batting revolves around deft touches and timing, than the modern day powerhitting module that you see with most young batsmen. He got picked up by Chennai Super Kings in the 2019 IPL season and made a huge impact in the 2021 season when he made 635 runs as CSK won the title. His attacking knocks at the top were a major reason for his team's success. 2021 followed his debut season where CSK gave him games after failing to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in their history.
Gaikwad soon made his T20I and ODI debut for India as well carrying on from his IPL success. After a fine season in 2021, Gaikwad was retained by CSK for INR 6 crore ahead of the 2022 season.
As of now, his success rate has been much higher in List A, where he is consistent and also makes his runs at a healthy strike-rate. However, given his temperament and technique, Ruturaj should be able to better his already reasonable returns in First-class cricket. His batting revolves around deft touches and timing, than the modern day powerhitting module that you see with most young batsmen. He got picked up by Chennai Super Kings in the 2019 IPL season and made a huge impact in the 2021 season when he made 635 runs as CSK won the title. His attacking knocks at the top were a major reason for his team's success. 2021 followed his debut season where CSK gave him games after failing to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in their history.
Gaikwad soon made his T20I and ODI debut for India as well carrying on from his IPL success. After a fine season in 2021, Gaikwad was retained by CSK for INR 6 crore ahead of the 2022 season.
Hardik Pandya
Profile
A wiry young lad from a small town in Gujarat, Hardik Pandya, with his tattoos and peroxide highlights, encapsulates the charisma and swagger of the modern-day Indian cricketer. The all-rounder was propelled into the big stage after constant exposure to prime-time television in the form of the Indian Premier League. A deep voice to go with the confidence and energy, and showing no sign of playing it safe, Pandya is the modern icon of audacity in the Indian side. Having gone through the hard grind of domestic cricket, Pandya shot to fame when he was picked up by an IPL franchise - a license to make his talent well-known on the big stage.
As several youngsters do in the modern era, Pandya announced himself to the world during the IPL, portraying his swashbuckling ability to strike the ball, outstanding fielding, and some street-smart bowling that transcends the cliché 'just rolls his arm over'. He made the world sit up when he soaked in the pressure and came good in crunch situations, playing a pivotal role in the Mumbai franchise's second title triumph, and winning two Man of the Match awards on his way. The Indian public and critics, who never fail to make comparisons, immediately had the inevitable question at the tip of their tongue: Had India found their first fast-bowling all-rounder since Kapil Dev?
Despite being predominantly noted for his explosive batting, Pandya is no slouch with the ball. In fact, it was his all-round skills which caught the attention of the T20 franchises during the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament culminating a national contract. Pandya's merit was duly rewarded when he was named in India's ODI squad for the home series against New Zealand in 2016. By this time, he had worked on his swing bowling skills, and was hitting the 140s regularly, troubling the batsmen with his nagging length. In fact, having been a part of the 2016 World T20, Pandya defended an equation reading '2 to win off 3' against Bangladesh, bowling back of a length and short on a slow-ish wicket, and keeping India alive in the tournament as a result.
Pandya is relatively new to the Indian team and has already played some excellent knocks with the bat in ODIs, sealing off some tight run-chases and scoring quick runs when required. With the ability to surge when required and target a particular bowler, he has pulled off 20-run overs in pressure situations and remains a vital cog in the ODI fold. With an ageing MS Dhoni shifting into a sheet anchor mode rather than his usual swashbuckling mode, Pandya is a crucial factor in the team and can form a vital pairing with Dhoni, by batting around his stability as his apprentice to finish off games. His technique though, however useful in ODIs, isn't the best for non-true wickets, and if he chooses the path of Test cricket, he needs to make himself more compact and solid in terms of batting fundamentals. His bowling has taken giant strides, as he has perfected the art of swing and has figured out the optimal trajectory for his speed as well to impart maximum lateral movement on the ball.
Regardless of whether Pandya is India's next Kapil Dev, he certainly beings a much-needed balance to the side. If he remains grounded in the midst of all the glamour, and shapes his game under the able guidance of his seniors and coaches, he is destined for greatness. As of right now, it will be fascinating to watch the exuberance of blending with the maturity that comes with experience as the nation looks up at this charismatic young talent in its quest for those elusive overseas wins.
After a grueling 2018, Pandya has come out a more mature cricketer, starting from his happy-go-lucky 93 in Cape Town, to his 5-for and half-century in India's only win in the Test series against England. Pandya's bowling, particularly in Tests, has come a long way, with his extra bounce from a back of a length, and particularly his ability to swing the ball away from the right-hander. Despite not bowling the best deliveries at times, he does seem to have an uncanny knack of dismissing set batsmen, perhaps even established batsmen. His batting, although extremely aggressive, still needs a lot of work as he continues to exhibit a single-dimensional, all-out attack mode to his batting - an approach that has often failed in more bowler-friendly conditions.
After a mixed year of glory and heartbreak, Pandya was hampered by a severe back injury during the Asia Cup in 2018 which ruled him out of the tour of Australia. To make things worse, he received a lot of flak when an episode of a talk show aired in India, in which Pandya, along with Rahul, were called out for their misogynistic comments about women, and were suspended by the Board of Control for Cricket in India for poor conduct and tarnishing the image of Indian cricket. The ban has been lifted since the incident. Pandya, however, returned to the side after a lot of internal conflict in the board, for the ODI series against New Zealand and performed admirably, particularly with the ball and in the field. He remains a vital cog in India's 2019 World Cup plans, providing a much-needed balance in the side, as India finally manage to get their hands on a fast-bowling all-rounder for the first time since the Great Kapil Dev.
As several youngsters do in the modern era, Pandya announced himself to the world during the IPL, portraying his swashbuckling ability to strike the ball, outstanding fielding, and some street-smart bowling that transcends the cliché 'just rolls his arm over'. He made the world sit up when he soaked in the pressure and came good in crunch situations, playing a pivotal role in the Mumbai franchise's second title triumph, and winning two Man of the Match awards on his way. The Indian public and critics, who never fail to make comparisons, immediately had the inevitable question at the tip of their tongue: Had India found their first fast-bowling all-rounder since Kapil Dev?
Despite being predominantly noted for his explosive batting, Pandya is no slouch with the ball. In fact, it was his all-round skills which caught the attention of the T20 franchises during the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament culminating a national contract. Pandya's merit was duly rewarded when he was named in India's ODI squad for the home series against New Zealand in 2016. By this time, he had worked on his swing bowling skills, and was hitting the 140s regularly, troubling the batsmen with his nagging length. In fact, having been a part of the 2016 World T20, Pandya defended an equation reading '2 to win off 3' against Bangladesh, bowling back of a length and short on a slow-ish wicket, and keeping India alive in the tournament as a result.
Pandya is relatively new to the Indian team and has already played some excellent knocks with the bat in ODIs, sealing off some tight run-chases and scoring quick runs when required. With the ability to surge when required and target a particular bowler, he has pulled off 20-run overs in pressure situations and remains a vital cog in the ODI fold. With an ageing MS Dhoni shifting into a sheet anchor mode rather than his usual swashbuckling mode, Pandya is a crucial factor in the team and can form a vital pairing with Dhoni, by batting around his stability as his apprentice to finish off games. His technique though, however useful in ODIs, isn't the best for non-true wickets, and if he chooses the path of Test cricket, he needs to make himself more compact and solid in terms of batting fundamentals. His bowling has taken giant strides, as he has perfected the art of swing and has figured out the optimal trajectory for his speed as well to impart maximum lateral movement on the ball.
Regardless of whether Pandya is India's next Kapil Dev, he certainly beings a much-needed balance to the side. If he remains grounded in the midst of all the glamour, and shapes his game under the able guidance of his seniors and coaches, he is destined for greatness. As of right now, it will be fascinating to watch the exuberance of blending with the maturity that comes with experience as the nation looks up at this charismatic young talent in its quest for those elusive overseas wins.
After a grueling 2018, Pandya has come out a more mature cricketer, starting from his happy-go-lucky 93 in Cape Town, to his 5-for and half-century in India's only win in the Test series against England. Pandya's bowling, particularly in Tests, has come a long way, with his extra bounce from a back of a length, and particularly his ability to swing the ball away from the right-hander. Despite not bowling the best deliveries at times, he does seem to have an uncanny knack of dismissing set batsmen, perhaps even established batsmen. His batting, although extremely aggressive, still needs a lot of work as he continues to exhibit a single-dimensional, all-out attack mode to his batting - an approach that has often failed in more bowler-friendly conditions.
After a mixed year of glory and heartbreak, Pandya was hampered by a severe back injury during the Asia Cup in 2018 which ruled him out of the tour of Australia. To make things worse, he received a lot of flak when an episode of a talk show aired in India, in which Pandya, along with Rahul, were called out for their misogynistic comments about women, and were suspended by the Board of Control for Cricket in India for poor conduct and tarnishing the image of Indian cricket. The ban has been lifted since the incident. Pandya, however, returned to the side after a lot of internal conflict in the board, for the ODI series against New Zealand and performed admirably, particularly with the ball and in the field. He remains a vital cog in India's 2019 World Cup plans, providing a much-needed balance in the side, as India finally manage to get their hands on a fast-bowling all-rounder for the first time since the Great Kapil Dev.
Hanuma Vihari
Profile
Part of the U19 World Cup-winning Indian side of 2012, Hanuma Vihari’s solidity as a batsman was a well-documented fact, right from his childhood days. A native of Kakinada in Andhra, he promptly climbed up the ranks, through South Zone and the junior National sides. While he continued to churn out runs across formats, it was obvious that Vihari was made for Test match cricket. After landing an IPL contract with Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2012, he also produced a Man-of-the-Match performance in that season, also showcasing his part-time off-breaks to good effect by getting Chris Gayle for a golden duck. His batting lacked the unconventional fizz and power-hitting that you associate with T20 cricket but his
class was undeniable.
The biggest praise he could get was from his then SRH teammate, South African superstar Dale Steyn who spoke highly of Vihari’s ability as a batsman. Over the years, he continued to up his game in First-class cricket, and with his average hovering around the 60s, a national call-up was inevitable. Consistent batting struggles for India during their England tour in 2018 meant that Vihari landed a debut mid-series at The Oval and immediately impressed with a gritty fifty that did have its share of luck. Nevertheless, his composure and solidity were lauded. However, with Rohit Sharma also in the race for a middle-order spot and Virat Kohli’s tendency to play five bowlers, Vihari’s spot wasn’t fixed and he soon found himself opening the batting in Australia for the sake of team combination. He didn’t score a lot of runs but blunted the new ball with a lot of grit and Rohit’s injury saw him back to the middle order thereafter.
Vihari’s ability to land fairly workable part-time off-breaks is another quality that works in his favour when the team management sits down to earmark a playing XI. While Kohli is known to play five specialist bowlers, of late he has looked to go with the extra batsman and while playing just four bowlers, Vihari’s skills with the ball are invaluable. Of course, it’s the bat that has done the talking and after an extremely successful tour of West Indies, he seems to have nailed down that middle-order spot. In fact, it’s due to this that Rohit Sharma now finds himself with the task of opening the innings to fit in the XI, a straight reversal of fortunes from the MCG Test in early 2019. Vihari is now part of the Delhi Capitals in the IPL
but remains regarded as a Test match specialist who can at best, be an ODI resource.
Ravindra Jadeja
Profile
Very few careers in international cricket have transcended the boundaries of myth as that of Ravindra Jadeja, nicknamed 'Sir'. The nickname initially trended more as a joke but the young man from Saurashtra took all the criticism and mock comments in his stride to turn the tables in spectacular fashion. A disastrous 2009 World T20 made him the laughing stock, particularly among the naturally combustible Indian fans who were baying for his blood back home. The 2009-10 season went haywire for the young man whose only solace was the immense backing from his skipper MS Dhoni who was adamant in his support of the all-rounder.
A few quiet seasons followed and Jadeja unassumingly pegged away at the domestic circuit. Although known as a proper all-rounder there, it was evident that he was a more effective bowler, having the ability to hit a spot with relentless accuracy. Batting skills were no less - he has three triple tons in first-class cricket - that sums up things, doesn't it? Jadeja was slowly working his way in limited-overs cricket but clearly, it was his Test debut that changed his fortunes in a big way. His initiation in red-ball cricket came in a dead rubber of the home series against England in 2012-13. However, a fairly decent debut meant that he was retained when the Australians toured India in early 2013. Jadeja starred in that series along with the lead spinner Ravichandran Ashwin as India recorded a historic whitewash over the Aussies.
The same year he shone in India's Champions Trophy title glory, gaining the Golden Ball for his terrific bowling performances in the tournament. That international season was an emphatic statement - Jadeja had arrived. Since then, he hasn't looked back, becoming a force to reckon with in Tests, particularly in the sub-continent as India charged to number one in the rankings. His association with Ashwin has dismantled many opposition batting line-ups and is easily the best spin attack in the world. Injuries did hamper his form in the shorter formats and the new rule changes post the 2015 World Cup saw him being ineffective in white-ball cricket. Ashwin also struggled and the duo found themselves out of the limited-overs squads post the 2017 Champions Trophy.
India did finish runners-up in the showpiece event but there was a feeling that the vaunted Test partnership of Ashwin-Jadeja wasn't being replicated in white-ball cricket. The advent of wrist spinners has made things tough although Jadeja's multi-dimensional skills does keep him in the hunt. He is arguably India's best fielder and can tonk a few with the bat apart from his bowling skills. Supreme fitness levels also meant he was always on the radar for national selection whenever there was an opportunity. He returned to the ODI setup for the 2018 Asia Cup and played a sizeable amount of games since then, although he was dropped for a few as well. The all-round package that he is, Jadeja is a tough candidate for a captain to ignore because he is a live wire in the field, bowls decent spin and can give those extra few runs towards the end overs. Recurring injuries to Hardik Pandya in the 2018-19 season gave a new lease of life to Jadeja's white-ball dreams and he cemented his spot in the squad, featuring at no.7 whenever Hardik missed out and taking one of the specialist spinner slots when the latter returned. Jadeja's batting in Tests has also hit a peak over the last few years, making him a very reliable batsman irrespective of conditions.
IPL through the years
Jadeja's rise does have a lot to do with Dhoni's undying support but it was actually the IPL that found the Saurashtra boy - or rather the legendary Shane Warne to be precise. As captain of the Rajasthan Royals, the Australian spotted Jadeja's prowess and had said back in 2008-09 that this 'Rockstar' would go places. He wasn't wrong at all. After featuring for Rajasthan briefly, Jadeja became an integral part of the Chennai outfit till the squad was briefly suspended after the 2015 season. During the side's two-year hiatus, its players were scattered across and Jadeja found himself with his native Gujarat franchise - a temporary side. With the Chennai squad returning from the 2018 season onwards, he was among the three people retained - proof enough of how much he is valued there.
After an outstanding 2021 IPL where he scored 227 runs and took 13 wickets, Jadeja was hot property ahead of the 2022 mega auction. CSK splurged INR 16 crore to acquire his services and made him captain. But after just 2 wins in their first 8 games, Jadeja handed back the captaincy to MS Dhoni to concentrate on his own game. He was subsequently ruled out of the season due to a rib injury. After reports of a rift between the franchise and Jadeja, the allrounder was reportedly spoken to and returned for the 2023 season.
Ravichandran Ashwin
Profile
Ravichandran Ashwin burst onto the scene with his street-smart exploits in the shorter form of the game at the IPL, but since his Test debut against West Indies in 2011, Ashwin has made it a habit to pick up wickets, especially in dry and dusty conditions that support turn. He has made a name for himself in the shorter formats of the game, more so in T20 cricket where his accuracy and shrewdness has made him a dependable bowler. He has managed to fill in the boots of Harbhajan Singh and then some, and has become India's premier bowler in the subcontinent.
A consistent season at the domestic level made him stand out and got Ashwin a contract with the BCCI, in addition to leading Tamil Nadu to victory in the domestic one-day trophy in 2009. When Harbhajan opted out of the first two games against South Africa at home in early 2010, Ashwin was called in as his replacement. Alas he did not get his coveted India Test cap. Impressive performances for the Chennai franchise in the subsequent edition of the IPL meant that he was always knocking on the door and an extended chance arrived in June 2010 when India decided to experiment on their tour to Zimbabwe for a tri-series.
After going constantly in and out of the team, the wily off-spinner was picked in the Indian squad for the 2011 World Cup in the Indian subcontinent. However, he played for only two games, including the quarter-final. Ashwin was finally given an extended run in Tests and was adjudged the Man of the Series in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2013, starting his journey as India's go-to bowler on subcontinental pitches with an impressive tally of 29 wickets in the series. In the process he became the third Indian off-spinner to take 25-plus wickets in a series after Harbhajan Singh (32) & Erapalli Prasanna (26). In the first Test match of the home series against West Indies in November 2013, Ashwin got his second Test ton and also put on a record seventh wicket partnership of 280 runs along with Rohit Sharma, going on to get his 100th wicket in his 18th Test - another record. Ashwin had been consistent in the opportunities that he has got and took over as the lead spinner in the Test side after the selectors dropped Harbhajan for the Test series against West Indies in 2011. He formed a successful partnership with left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha and later Ravindra Jadeja, especially in Tests in India.
Due to the largely home-centric seasons between 2015 to 2017, Ashwin had consistently performed well, making use of his guile and deception more along with his stock deliveries, rather than experimenting with too many variations. He had finally become a secure enough bowler to trust his off-break and his floater as his stock deliveries and using the carrom ball and other variations sparingly. In overseas conditions, however, he had quite a contrasting and abysmal record and struggled to grip the Kookaburra and extract as much turn on foreign pitches, compared to the SG ball in India. He showed his growth with the Kookaburra on helpful surfaces on the tour of Sri Lanka, where he claimed 21 wickets and played a big hand in India's series win, their first in the island nation since 1993. In the subsequent home season, he continued to mint wickets, looting 31 in 4 home Tests against South Africa.
Ashwin played the last two Test matches of the England tour and didn't perform too well with the Dukes whereas his counterpart Moeen performed considerably well against a formidable Indian batting line-up. He also played three Tests in the 2014-15 Border Gavaskar Trophy and showed much better control with the Kookaburra despite not being able to enchant it like he did the SG in India. He had outstanding series against the West Indies, New Zealand and England at home, snaffling an unparalleled 72 scalps in just 12 Tests. Ashwin had now turned into a complete all-rounder, more-than-handy with the bat and devastating with the ball in familiar conditions. He earned himself the prestigious ICC Test player of the year award as well as the ICC Player of the year award becoming only the second Indian to achieve both in the same year after Rahul Dravid. After missing out on the IPL, Ashwin went to England to have a county stint and proved to be excellent with the Dukes ball on the allotted surfaces, picking up wickets as though he were bowling in Chennai. During the second Test against Sri Lanka at Nagpur, he became the fastest bowler to 300 Test wickets in his 54th Test, leaving behind Dennis Lillee (56 Tests) and inspiring India's joint-highest Test win by an innings and 239 runs.
Ashwin continued to perform consistently for India, especially with the red ball. In 2016, he was named ICC’s Cricketer of the year and he continued to top the charts in ICC’s Test bowling rankings. Forming a formidable duo with Ravindra Jadeja, Ashwin was indomitable in home conditions. After representing India in a second consecutive Cricket World Cup in 2015, Ashwin saw his effectiveness dip in the limited-overs format. While he did eventually lose his place in the white-ball setup as India’s focus shifted to the more attacking wrist-spin of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, Ashwin continued to be an integral part of the Test team. Breaking several records along the way, Ashwin established himself as the undisputed leader of India’s spin attack. In March 2022, he surpassed Kapil Dev’s 434 Test wickets to become India’s 2nd highest wicket-taker in Test cricket. In 2021, Ashwin made a surprising comeback to India’s T20 team after being named in the squad for the 2021 World T20. His performances weren’t noteworthy but he’d go on to retain his spot in the squad for the next T20 World Cup in 2022 as well.
IPL - Through the years
A rookie from Tamil Nadu, Ravichandran Ashwin, was picked by his home franchise - Chennai Super Kings - in 2009, where he played just two matches. The following season (2010) saw him rise to fame - courtesy his 'sodukku ball' a.k.a. carrom ball. Under MS Dhoni's captaincy, the 'mystery spinner' was summoned to bowl with the new ball and the youngster didn't disappoint his skipper as he finished with 13 wickets at a miserly economy rate of 6.10. Despite heavy competition from Royal Challengers Bangalore, the Super Kings managed to re-buy him for the 2011 season and the offie proved his worth. Ashwin scalped 20 wickets (economy: 6.15, average: 19.40) and he went onto win back-to-back titles for CSK (2010 and 2011). An integral member of the Super Kings set-up, he was retained by the franchise ahead of the 2014 season.
While 2014 saw him lose his form a bit, Ashwin came back strongly in the following season. Although he picked just 10 wickets in 16 games during the 2015 season, his economy rate was 5.84, which is incredible in T20s. Following the 2-year-suspension for CSK, Ashwin was picked by Rising Pune Supergiants at the 2016 IPL Player Draft. After having an ordinary outing in 2016, Ashwin was ruled out of the following season due to sports hernia injury. Ashwin had to go under the hammer in 2018 and Kings XI Punjab bought him for Rs 7.6 crore and named him the captain. The season wasn't a success, both for Ashwin and for Punjab as they finished 7th with Ashwin scalping only 10 wickets. A suspected fallout between captain Ashwin and head-coach Anil Kumble led to Kumble’s departure the following season but the Punjab franchise didn’t see much change in fortune under Mike Hesson either in 2019 as they finished 6th this time.
Ashwin was subsequently traded to the Delhi Capitals for the 2020 season. While he was consistently in the mix at Delhi for the following two seasons, there weren’t any performances of note as he finished with 13 and 7 wickets respectively. For the 2021 season, he was bought by the Rajasthan Royals for INR 5 crore.
KL Rahul
Profile
Hailing from a background of high academic standards, KL Rahul was born and brought up in the prestigious National Institute of Technology Karnataka, where his father is a professor in the department of Civil Engineering. He finished his schooling in NITK and grew to develop keen interest in cricket. Having started off with batting on the grass-less field of the college, Rahul's parents spotted a spark in him and decided that he must receive formal training in order to realize his talents.
The prospect of a debut on a momentous occasion like the Boxing Day at the MCG against the world's chirpiest team seemed to throw Rahul off his game, as he crumbled under pressure and lost his wicket to two shots unbecoming (to say the least) of a Test player. With the series already lost, and in a manifestation of compassion for Rahul's nervous jitters, the selectors and the captain decided to give Rahul a go at his usual opening spot in the Sydney Test. He had a dramatic redemption in Sydney as he stroked his way to a patient century, proving that he belongs in the national side – to himself, more than anyone else.
This hundred gave Rahul some momentum, and he went on to make hundreds in Sri Lanka and West Indies on away tours, making the opening combination a dilemma for the Indian selectors. He showed his tendency to convert starts, making his first three fifty-plus scores count, and going on to score a hundred each time. However, he continued to have anxious starts and got the reputation of an 'all-or-nothing' player.
Rahul was selected in the limited-overs squads to Zimbabwe and West Indies in mid-2016. It was then that Rahul showed his versatility across formats, bursting forth with a hundred each on ODI and T20I debut, after a fine run in the IPL for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. The young right-hander got a chance to play his first home Test, but a series of injuries and recurrences managed to keep him going in and out of the playing XI until the Chennai Test against England in late 2017 when he made a full recovery. He went on to make a heart-breaking 199 in Chennai; his current highest score in Test cricket.
With an ideal mentor in Rahul Dravid, KL Rahul shares more than his first name with the Indian legend; the dogged resistance, the compact, airtight technique, and the unimpeachable focus at the crease are all common factors between the two batting technicians. Rahul does need to work a tad more on his nerves, though, after his tame dismissal on 199 in Chennai further reinforced his image as a timorous player. However, with age on his side, Rahul can work on his nerves and with an all-conditions' technique to go with it, he is an exciting prospect for India's long and challenging overseas season and he would like to reinforce his spot as a long-term option for India as a premier Test opener.
Sanju Samson
Profile
Seen as the next biggest thing from Kerala, Sanju Samson is a fine wicket-keeper batsman, who is sound in technique, both with bat and behind the stumps. He made his first-class debut at the age of 17 for Kerala against Vidarbha.
He made an impact almost immediately as he scored two hundreds and a fifty in five appearances the next season. He was signed by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2012 but he did not get a game. It was for the Rajasthan Royals that Samson made a name for himself in the IPL in 2013.
He was sent to the UAE to represent the country in the 2012 Under-19 World Cup and he did not disappoint the selectors. He was the top run-getter for India and was the only player in the side to hit three fifties. In fact, he finished 6th in the list of batsmen with most runs in the entire tournament despite India not qualifying to the semi-final.
When Dravid was mentoring the Royals in IPL-7, he spoke highly of Samson and added that he is one of the players in the current lot, who will excel for India in the near future. Consistent performances in the IPL meant Samson was picked for the Zimbabwe tour in 2015. He made his first appearance for India in a T20 game, where he scored 19.
Dravid once again showed his faith when he was the head coach of Delhi Daredevils, he picked up Samson in the 2016 IPL auctions and the wicket-keeper repaid it by becoming the third highest run-scorer for his team. He was picked for the India A tour of Australia and played a few handy knocks, which helped them win the quadrangular series involving Australia A, South Africa A and National Performance Squad. During the 2014-15 season, the Keralite had gone so high up the pecking order that he was expected to be a successor to MS Dhoni as India's gloveman. Sadly, his fortunes plummeted since then.
Samson's game didn’t really go up the way it should have, considering the natural talent that he possesses. While he is capable of playing jaw-dropping strokes all around the ground, his temperament continued to be that of a rookie despite gaining experience in the domestic circuit. It's an area that Samson needs to correct at the earliest, if he harbors hopes of being a successful international cricketer. He's gotten very few chances so far for India, and hasn't clicked in those. Competition with the more explosive Rishabh Pant who can bat at any position means that Samson needs to be on his toes.
IPL through the years
A stylish shotmaker who also keeps wickets, Sanju Samson was initially part of the Kolkata Knight Riders but never got any opportunities there. It was his stint at the Rajasthan Royals that enabled him to showcase his talent to the world. During the 2013-15 phase, he was one of the vital cogs of the RR batting line-up, lending stability with his solid gameplay and also helping them accelerate with his sizzling strokeplay. Temperamental issues aside, Samson was considered a future superstar and his IPL exploits even saw him rise rapidly in the pecking order to be MS Dhoni’s successor.
However, over the years, he has never had that breakthrough season which would help him to push his case forward. Often, Samson would start an IPL season with a flurry of impressive scores, only to fizzle out as the tournament progressed. Lack of interest in glovework in domestic cricket set him back considerably and by the time he restarted being a gloveman, he had slipped a lot in the category of India’s wicket-keeper batsmen. A short stint with Delhi further saw Samson exhibiting his strengths but the weaknesses too remained the same over the last five years. He got back to RR at the fresh auctions in 2018 and another underwhelming season ensued after it had begun well, again. 2019 wasn't all that different either. He kept showing glimpses of his brilliance, including a couple of centuries but the runs simply didn’t come with the desired consistency.
Samson continues to be one of RR’s mainstays in the middle order, particularly after being appointed as the skipper of the team in 2021, and given that he is a domestic recruit, adds more value as it allows the franchise to spread the overseas players in other departments. Samson is still in search of that one big standout IPL season that shall take his game to the next level.
Wriddhiman Saha
Profile
A misleadingly diminutive figure, Wriddhiman Saha from the small town of Silliguri, made his way through the U-19 and U-22 levels and got an opportunity to represent his home state in the Ranji Trophy, thanks to the player exodus to the Indian Cricket League (ICL). Saha took the place of veteran keeper Deep Dasgupta and debuted in the 2007 season.
Despite scoring a century on debut against Hyderabad, he did not make much of a mark in the rest of the games, but that was enough to catch the eye of those scouting for players for the inaugural Indian Premier League. Drafted into the Kolkata Knight Riders, he impressed onlookers with his neat work behind the stumps and explosive hitting in the death overs.
After staying in the sidelines during the Dhoni revolution, he was called up to the national side in 2010, when he was surprisingly picked as reserve wicket-keeper for the home series against the Proteas. Saha continued to ride his luck as he got a debut as a specialist batsman after injuries to VVS Laxman and Rohit Sharma. Though India were handed out a heavy defeat on a pitch which was seam-friendly, Saha impressed with a dogged knock in the second innings, with an old-fashioned 101-ball 36. The selectors anointed him as the permanent reserve in Test matches and he was part of the 16-member squad which made the flight to the Australia in 2011/12. Saha played another Test against Australia in Adelaide in the absence of Dhoni, and he impressed with his skillful keeping and his ability to battle alien bouncy conditions whilst playing within his limits.
On the domestic front, he continued to be in the selectors' eye by topping the run-charts of the 2011-12 Vijay Hazare Trophy. He has also been entrusted with the leadership of Bengal in the Ranji Trophy and other domestic competitions from time-to-time and shares the duties with Manoj Tiwary and Laxmi Ratan Shukla.
Despite of mediocre performances at the domestic level in the seasons that followed, Saha was named as a reserve wicket-keeper in the Test squad of the tour to South Africa in December 2013. However, Saha impressed after Dhoni's retirement from Test cricket in December 2014, more so as a keeper than as a batsman. Impressing with his quick reflexes and acrobatic wicket-keeping skills Saha has now become the regular keeper in Tests. His athleticism behind the stumps against fast-bowlers has not been seen in an Indian keeper in living memory and he has been lauded for that by experts and critics. Despite his limited batting abilities, he has learned to play within his boundaries and has achieved success on that front, proving rather difficult to dismiss in most conditions; the kind of stoic approach at the crease required in the most dire circumstances when the stroke-making stalwarts fail.
IPL through the years
Wriddhiman Saha was picked by his home franchise, the Kolkata Knight Riders, in the inaugural IPL auction. However, he remained in the sidelines for the majority of the three seasons he spent with the Knight Riders, and of course, remained a second choice to MS Dhoni when he was picked by the Chennai Super Kings in 2011 auction - once again, for three seasons. In the 2014 auction, Saha was finally signed by the Kings XI Punjab as a first-choice wicketkeeper-batsman. He turned out to be a keeper, not only impressing with his fantastic wicketkeeping skills, but also with the willow, 362 runs at 32.90 at a strike-rate of 145.28. This included the first-ever hundred in an IPL final, against the Kolkata Knight Riders (115* off 55) in the 2014 season, which came in a losing cause as his ex-franchise lifted its maiden trophy. Saha was released by the Punjab franchise, given his unavailability to injuries and a complete overhaul of their own side (the 'keeping skills of Rahul and Pooran didn't do him much good) and he was signed by the Sunrisers Hyderabad for the 2019 IPL and is most likely to make the starting XI as their first-choice 'keeper and possibly Warner's opening partner.
Rishabh Pant
Profile
At 19, Rishabh Pant has gone through all the highs and lows of a cricketing career. A promising talent from Delhi, Pant came into reckoning after his exploits for India Under-19 in the 2016 World Cup. A dashing left-handed wicket-keeper batsman, he lit up the tournament with a blitzing 24-ball 75, the fastest half-century of the tournament, against Nepal and followed it up with a century against Namibia. India lost the title round - but came back with several positives - nothing bigger than the emergence of Pant.
The second Ranji season for Rishabh wasn't as good as the first one. But he made up for that in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He smashed the second fastest hundred in the T-20 history in just 32 balls against Himachal Pradesh. This knock brought him into the selectors reckoning again and he was named in the Nidhas Trophy team.
Pant again had a disappointing outing in his comeback match. He hasn't been himself at the international level and often tried to hit the ball too hard to his liking and failed to portray his hitting prowess. Strangely, his strike rate in the International T20 is just over 100 which is well below average for a power hitter.
Pant is not a finished product by any stretch of the imagination but he has all the raw materials in him to excel at the International level. And this is the reason he has been retained by Delhi Daredevils where he will be playing under Gautam Gambhir and Ricky Ponting.
IPL through the years
The expertise that the IPL demands and the skill set that Rishabh Pant posses are absolutely in synchronization. If ever the definition of an ideal T20 batsman would be written, Rishabh Pant would tick most of the aspects. He is a ferocious hitter of the cricket ball wide a wide array of shots and can clear the boundary ropes with ridiculous ease. The scoops, the paddles, the flicks, you name it and this bloke has every shot in his repertoire.
His career so far is an epitome of the Indian Premier League's timeline 'where talent meets opportunity.' Rishabh was picked up by Delhi Daredevils at a whopping price of 1.9 Crores in the 2016 auction. His first season didn't pan out the way Rishabh would have liked but he definitely vindicated the owners trust in 2017. A breakthrough season and Rishabh Pant had well and truly arrived. Going into the second season of the IPL, his confidence was sky-high and there were talks of an imminent India cap for the 2017 Champions Trophy. But life had another twist for the young batsman. Days before his team's first match - against Royal Challengers Bangalore, his father passed away, leaving a void difficult to fill. He came back to cricket from the tragedy, nearly guided his team home with a single-handed effort, and later blasted a blinding 97 against Gujarat Lions to finish the tournament with 366 runs.
Rishabh was retained for the third season and he proved to be Delhi's only shining light in otherwise a pretty dark campaign. Throughout the season, Pant was responsible for demolishing the morale of the bowlers. His innings of 125 against SRH was one for the ages. The manner in which he took world-class Bhuvneshwar apart was a testimony to his grand stature as a T20 batsman. He will churn out for Delhi Capitals this year with an immense amount of international experience under his belt. And he would very well know a stellar season can fetch him a ticket to England for the World Cup.
What to expect in the 2019 WC?
A dasher, an aggressor or may be the perfect gen-next batsman, Rishabh Pant came in to the WC squad as a replacement for an injured Shikhar Dhawan. He was ignored for the initial squad which was picked for the WC but got his chance at the expense of Dhawan's injury. Being a left-hander, he might throw in a spanner in the opposition's plans if India use him judiciously in the middle overs. A see-the-ball and hit-the-ball approach might not come off very often but it will serve a lot of entertainment when it does come off. A good season for Delhi Daredevils just ahead of the World Cup would have also helped his mindset. His cricketing stocks have only risen high with many cricketing pundits batting for his inclusion in the side. Now that Pant has a go, he would want to make it count. The experience of playing Test cricket in England last year will also help him in adapting to the conditions better.
Mohammed Shami
Profile
Hailing from a remote village in Uttar Pradesh, born to a fast-bowler-turned-farmer, Mohammed Shami’s father spotted a spark in only one of his five children (all aspiring fast bowlers) and took him to a renowned coach in Moradabad, the closest city to their village. A bundle of energy, he was known to be a hard-worker full of stamina and trained like a workhorse under the watchful eye of Badruddin Siddique.
After being snubbed from the U-19 selections due to alleged politically-corrupt selections, Shami was advised to move to Kolkata by his coach. He was taken under the apprenticeship of Debabrata Das to the extent of staying under his roof and just about made it to the U-22 Bengal side. After a specially conducted net session supervised by Sourav Ganguly, Shami was recognized as a special talent and after a tough grind through the ranks, he got his chance to represent Bengal at the Ranji level. After a commendable set of performances at the domestic level, Shami was selected for the West Indies A tour in 2012, where he impressed with his pace and lateral movement on relatively flat surfaces with little or no assistance for fast bowlers. From an impressive 10-wicket haul at the grassy Eden track to the unprecedented 11-wicket haul at the rather unhelpful Indore track, Shami was fast proving to be one of the stand-out and versatile performers in the Indian domestic circuit.
Shami slowly made his way into national reckoning and was handed an ODI debut in early 2013. Slowly but surely, he started to make significant contributions and with his ability to reverse/contrast swing the old white ball, he became an indispensable asset to the limited-overs side, becoming the second-fastest Indian to 50 ODI wickets in the process. He proved his worth in gold in the 2015 World Cup taking 17 wickets and ending up as one of the highest wicket-takers in the tournament. It was later revealed that he had played the World Cup through a knee injury. Looking a tad deeper into the performance, he was India’s most economical bowler in the tournament, except in the semi-final loss against Australia, in a period when the power-play laws were stacked for the batsmen.
With the red cherry, Shami made his debut in the home series against the West Indies, more popularly known as Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell series. He immediately impressed with his ability to bowl the seam-up delivery and to move the ball off the seam as well as reverse-swing the SG ball in India and as a result, he took 9 wickets on debut against the West Indies. He had moderate away tours in New Zealand and South Africa, and struggled on the tour to England, where he was expected to do well with his ability to jag the ball off the deck. However, in conditions less favorable for bowling in Australia, he picked up 15 wickets in 3 Tests before falling prey to injury again.
With his appreciable ability to move the new ball off the deck and reverse the old ball in the air, Shami has proved to be a master of ball maintenance and performance in unhelpful conditions. However, the tendency to pick up injuries at regular intervals kept him on and off the game. A setback in his personal life troubled him for a period of time but he has matured as a person and also as a cricketer over the years. On 22 June 2019, in a game against Afghanistan, Shami became the second Indian (after Chetan Sharma) in the history of 50-over World Cup to take a hat-trick. On 12 July 2022, he became the quickest Indian to take 150 ODI wickets. Due to his consistency in the last few years, he has developed into one of the premier fast bowlers for India in white-ball cricket. Very few in the world have the ability to bowl with an upright seam and keep the batters guessing to which way the ball will move. A stronger and fitter Shami holds India in good stead for the upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup.
IPL - Through the years
Initially part of his home franchise - Kolkata Knight Riders - Mohammed Shami got only a handful of opportunities. Post his impressive international debut, Delhi Daredevils bought him for Rs. 4.25 crore in 2014. Shami has been on the expensive side with the ball in the Indian Premier League and injuries hasn’t helped his cause either. With his IPL economy rate above 9, his 5-year association with Delhi ended as the franchise decided to release him. During the 2019 IPL auctions, Shami was roped in by Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) for Rs 4.40 crore. Having regained his mojo in white-ball cricket, Shami’s fortunes changed since then. He performed brilliantly in the three seasons he played for them – 19 wickets (2019), 20 wickets (2020), 19 wickets (2021). Shami was drafted in by Gujarat Titans in 2022 in their debut season. He shone with the ball again, taking 20 wickets in 17 games and played a pivotal role in helping the Titans lift the IPL title in their first season. He bettered his performance in the next season (2023) with them. He won the Purple Cap for taking the highest number of wickets (28) in 17 matches in the 2023 season.
Jasprit Bumrah
Profile
In an Indian team desperately searching for a death overs' bowler, Jasprit Bumrah came to the fore through the Indian Premier League, as a boon for cricket in the country. The scantily-built pacer from Gujarat has managed to perfect the art of bowling inch-perfect yorkers as an understudy to Lasith Malinga as a part of the Mumbai Indians franchise and has grown into an indispensable asset for the Indian team in the limited-overs format.
The inevitable call came at last as Bumrah travelled with the Indian team to Australia as an injury-replacement for Mohammad Shami, eventually making his debut in the dead rubber at the Sydney Cricket Ground. He has delivered consistent performances in coloured clothing and has since become an irreplaceable asset for his captain, consistently holding his nerve and becoming MS Dhoni's bowling counterpart as a last-over specialist for India. He went on to perform commendably for a young fast bowler in India's next world events - the ICC Champions' Trophy in 2017, where he only took 4 wickets in 5 matches, but conceded at an economy rate of just 5 runs an over, particularly impressive for a death overs' specialist.
Only one question remained. Can Bumrah become an effective Test bowler? He has shown appetite and ability for red-ball cricket, bowling Gujarat to their maiden Ranji Trophy title, in 2016-17. However, the Kookaburra ball posed a whole new challenge. He was handed the elusive Test cap in January 2018 in South Africa, and showed his adaptability with his skiddy nippers and unpredictable scrambled-seamers, proving to be the find of the tour for India - in other words, a good start in Tests for the versatile Bumrah.
In the season to follow, Bumrah's reputation would grow staggeringly as he would take Test cricket by storm in just his first year in whites. With sensational performances in England and Australia, he broke the record for the most wickets taken in overseas Tests by an Indian bowler in a single year.
IPL through the years
One of the many things the IPL can boast of is being a feeder system of emerging talent. It provides a platform for unheard players to make themselves known, to throw their hat in the ring as far as national reckoning goes. And no one exemplifies this better than Jasprit Bumrah, probably the IPL's biggest gift to Indian cricket.
Bumrah built his reputation by being different. A short run-up followed by a snappy bowling action with his arms rigid as bones, where it seems like everything could go wrong, right up until the point when it doesn't. His reliability is what surprisingly started to stand out amid the mayhem of the IPL. Under the guidance of a death-bowling expert like Lasith Malinga, Bumrah flourished. He made his debut in the 2013 edition of the competition, where he barely got much game time, but would quickly go on to become a regular in the MI playing eleven in the seasons to follow, surprising batsmen with the pace he generated off his wrist.
By 2017, he had established himself as the team's go-to bowler, even ahead of Malinga, evidenced by the decision to give him the responsibility of a Super Over against the Gujarat Lions, where he justified the call by defending 12 runs against Brendon McCullum and Aaron Finch. In that same year, Bumrah bowled MI into the finals through a match-winning spell of 3/7 in three overs in the second Qualifier against KKR, and then played a big part in clinching the trophy for Mumbai just when it seemed that Pune would cruise home.
It came as no surprise that Bumrah was one of the three players to be retained by MI for 2018. And he repaid the faith by finishing the season as the team's top wicket-taker, with an economy of under 7 - the first time he'd done that.
Kuldeep Yadav
Profile
A dewy-eyed aspiring left-arm fast bowler with a build ill-suited for the job joined an academy in Kanpur with big dreams of becoming the next Zaheer Khan for India. After a considerable period of time, Kuldeep and his coach Kapil Pandey realised that his talents did not align with the task. Consequently, he was advised to take Robert Frost’s 'road less travelled’ - slow left-arm unorthodox, or wrist-spin.
Kuldeep, a rare breed of left-arm wrist-spin bowlers in the modern day, had revived the art out of its grave along with a handful of other young players. He set the 2014 Under-19 World Cup alight by becoming India's leading wicket-taker in the tournament, adding the distinction of becoming the first Indian bowler to take a hat-trick in the history of the tournament, considered to be a watershed for the Indian youth and started to attract the eye of the selectors. With regard to his potential, Kuldeep was given more exposure in the 2016 Duleep Trophy and he once again bamboozled the clueless batsmen. The young spinner ended the tournament with 17 wickets in three matches and played a major role in leading his side to the final of the tournament - a commendable feat for an alleged rookie.
Despite getting limited opportunities, Kuldeep’s traditional guile and equally unconventional style was now gaining recognition at the national level and he had delivered enough performances of substance to get a call-up to the Indian squad for the home Tests against Australia in 2017. He was handed the coveted Test cap by wrist spin wizard Anil Kumble in Dharamsala. Replacing an injured Virat Kohli, the young man comprehensively foxed the experienced Australian batsmen, who were clearly caught by surprise by the selection. Yadav finished with four wickets on debut, laying the platform for a decisive Indian win as the Border-Gavaskar trophy returned to India.
Yadav didn’t have to wait too long for his ODI call-up, making his first pyjama appearance during the tour of West Indies in mid-2017. He was the joint highest wicket-taker on this tour, and was shockingly overlooked for the first three ODIs in Sri Lanka. He made a return in the final two matches and the subsequent Australia series, in which he made a statement (albeit metaphorically) that dropping him was a mistake, with a hat-trick against the Aussies; the first for India in ODIs since Kapil Dev and Chetan Sharma, more than 2 decades previously. His Test debut came just a year later in 2018 and he picked up a fifer on debut against the West Indies.
Although not the world’s fittest athlete, Kuldeep evolved as a bowler and learnt the tricks of the trade to exhibit his application extremely well, especially in the ODI leg of the tour of South Africa in early 2018, where he used his stock ball to good effect to run through one of the best limited-overs batting line-ups in the world, and also used his enigmatic googly sparingly such that even the most accomplished batsmen failed to pick his wrong’un from the hand. With the ability to deceive the batsmen in the air and above the eye level and the cunning ability to use the width of the crease, Kuldeep displayed all the elements required to lead a potential left-arm wrist-spin revolution having resurrected a dying art; much like his blonde, scheming right-handed counterpart gave a new lease of life to his art in the early nineties.
He performed consistently in limited-overs cricket and paired with fellow wrist-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, the duo were a force to reckon with. Their attacking wrist-spin added a new dimension to India’s fabled spin attack and the iconic ‘Kulcha’ phrase was born. Their continued ransacking of opposing batting line-ups were so impressive that they managed to keep the senior spin-duo of Ashwin and Jadeja out of the limited-overs side between 2018 and 2020. Kuldeep also found himself in India’s squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
Things, however, took a turn for the worse thereafter. With wrist-spin being the rage around the world at the time, batters started playing against them more and more and Kuldeep’s aura of mystery had seemingly been unveiled. He struggled to pick wickets and returned expensive figures and India’s outlook towards their spinners changed. Instead of being paired with Chahal, Kuldeep found himself competing with his now former bowling partner as India reverted to preferring at least one finger-spinner. He was criticised for his lack of pace and for being one-dimensional. It didn’t help that he suffered a series of injuries, including a knee injury that required surgery and that kept him out of the Indian team for a prolonged period.
However, Kuldeep returned strong. Fit and ready, he was ready to prove all those who had written him off wrong. He made his Test comeback in an away Test series against Bangladesh in 2022 and picked up 8 wickets in what was a Player of the Match worthy performance. Strangely though, he was dropped for the following game as the team looked to put out a different team-combination. He didn’t let that deter him as he made the most of the few opportunities he got. In South Africa’s tour to India in October 2022, Yadav was the wrecker-in-chief when he claimed figures of 4-18 to restrict South Africa to just 99 in the 3rd ODI. While still not cementing his spot as a regular like he did previously, Kuldeep ensured that he was always in the reckoning in all three formats when India were looking for a unique spin-option.
IPL through the years
Yadav was handed an Indian Premier League contract in 2012 by the Mumbai Indians, but he failed to make the playing XI in his debut season, despite making headlines for beating Sachin Tendulkar with his googly in the nets. He was transferred to the Kolkata Knight Riders two years later, but still failed to play a game.
In IPL 2016, Kuldeep was given his due by the KKR franchise and he didn't disappoint. The slow-left arm bowler picked up 6 wickets from 3 games. But the presence of Brad Hogg limited his chances. Having been retained for 40 lakhs ahead of the 2017 IPL, KKR decided to invest more in their potent weapon. And Kuldeep shone as well, picking up 12 wickets from 12 games. Year 2018 saw him making rapid strides at the international level and IPL also saw him creating ripples. He got his first Man of the Match award in an IPL game in the same edition as well. Against RR, Kuldeep bowled a bamboozling spell of 4 for 20 to script a fine win for KKR.
His dip in performance at the international level, however, was expounded at the IPL. He saw poor returns in the 2019 season after he picked up only 4 wickets from 9 games at an economy rate of 8.66 and his performance in 2020 was by far his worst. Failing to make an impact, Kuldeep found himself dropped from KKR’s playing XI after picking up just 1 wicket from 4 games. He was benched in the first half of the 2021 season and was ruled out of the rest due to a knee injury. He made a roaring return to form, however, when he was picked up by the Delhi Capitals in 2022. It was his performance at this IPL, 21 wickets from just 14 games, that put him back on the map after spending a couple of years in relative oblivion. He was retained by the Capitals for the 2023 edition of the tournament.
Yuzvendra Chahal
Profile
Born in Haryana, Yuzvendra Chahal is a fine right-arm leg-spinner, who made his first-class debut at the age of 19 in an away game against Madhya Pradesh at Indore. Though he has not played many first-class games, he has been impressive in the shortest format and it also earned him an IPL contract with Mumbai Indians in 2011.
For the first time in his IPL career, Chahal played all the matches in a season and was one of Virat Kohli's go-to man in crunch situations. He started off the season very well in the UAE, but once the tournament returned to India, he couldn't get many wickets. However, he was economical throughout the season. He was also a contender for the Emerging Player of the Year award but he lost out to Axar Patel in the end.
Chahal has since then grown onto become the linchpin of Royal Challengers Bangalore's spin attack. While he doesn't have a deceptive googly, he more than makes up for it with his skiddy bowling action and accurate line and length. One of the few bowlers who doesn't mind to lure the batsmen with the flight, several of his wickets have come with the batsmen attempting to clear the fence.
His success in the shorter format of the game and Virat Kohli's first hand knowledge resulted in his inclusion in the Indian team - first for the Twenty20 format of the game and then the 50-over game. The tour to Zimbabwe in mid-2016 was the ideal opportunity to infuse fresh blood and Chahal took his chances with both hands, impressing in both forms of the game.
Having shone in his first chance, Chahal took his game a step further when England came visiting during the winter of 2016-17. His figures of six for 25 in the Twenty20 international are the second best ever figures for a bowler in a T20I match. Aptly, it came at his second home, M Chinnaswamy stadium. A solid series against Sri Lanka followed and Chahal has put himself in the queue if the selectors deem that a wrist spinner would be ideal in the scheme of things as India prepare for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
IPL through the years
He started his spell with RCB by playing all 14 league games. Though he finished with only 12 wickets, Chahal was nominated for the Emerging Player of the Year, which he lost to Axar Patel. The following two season saw Chahal grow as a player - picking up 44 wickets and becoming one of RCB's vital cogs. In the 2018 edition, he went past Vinay Kumar to become the leading wicket-taker for the Bangalore franchise.
Though RCB retained only Kohli and AB de Villiers before the 2018 auction, Chahal was bought back by the Bangalore team via the RTM (right to match) for INR 6 crore.
Navdeep Saini
Profile
As a set of new generation bowlers took over the mantle of taking Delhi forward, the emergence of Navdeep Saini, the right-arm medium fast bowler helped the team achieve great heights during the 2017-18 domestic home season. Riding high on his 34 wickets, Delhi reached the Ranji Trophy final, where they were upstaged by Vidarbha.
Hailing from Karnal, Saini is a deceptive pacer, who relies more on swing and accuracy rather than pace. As a result of his superlative performances throughout the domestic season, Saini was the epicenter of a bidding war between various franchises and his services were finally won by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for a whopping INR 3 crores ahead of IPL 2019.
His international career also got a kick-start as he made his ODI and T20I debuts for India in 2019. And was given his Test cap when most of the Indian fast bowlers got injured down under. He made his debut in Sydney and then went to play the famous Perth Test as well. Injuries have plagued him and that also hasn't helped his consistency with the ball. He signed for Kent in July 2022 for a brief stint in county cricket.
IPL through the years
Navdeep's T20 debut for Delhi happened in 2016 and erstwhile Delhi Daredevils pocketed him for his base price of Rs. 10 Lakhs INR ahead of IPL 2017. He got to warm the benches only. But his honeymoon run at the domestic level saw RCB emptying 3 Crores INR ahead of IPL 2019. He was a regular in the RCB squad for IPL 2019 and IPL 2020. But RCB's misfortunes in the IPL meant he slipped into obscurity as well as his economy rate continued to be an issue. He stayed with RCB till 2021 before RR picked him for the 2022 IPL. However, he played only two games without turning a lot of heads.
Shardul Thakur
Profile
Hailing from the small town of Palgarh, Maharashtra, Thakur was faced with the oft-mentioned and seldom-addressed problem of traveling nearly a hundred kilometers to Mumbai to pursue his cricketing dreams. From a stereotypical young boy from cricketing backwaters dragging his cricket kit to practice to the most sought-after pace bowler in the Mumbai domestic circuit, Thakur's journey has been one of perseverance and hard work.
Despite consistent performances, Shardul found it difficult to catch the eye of the national selectors owing to a large number of fast bowlers in the fringes of the national side. However, it was during the Ranji final of 2015/16 that the selectors finally took notice of him, having found what they were looking for - the stomach for a fight in a big match. On the biggest domestic stage in Indian cricket, Shardul took 8 wickets in the final and breached one of the most impenetrable defenses in the world (that of Cheteshwar Pujara) with an unplayable delivery to lead his side to their 41st Ranji Trophy victory.
After a long wait, his big moment came in 2016 when he was called up to be a part of the Indian Test squad for the tour of the Caribbean islands. He did not earn the coveted Test cap at the time, an honour that still eludes him. He did, however, officially become a fringe player and had the chance to bowl at some of the world's best batsmen in the nets and has visibly improved as a bowler.
Thakur's forte in the fast-bowling domain is a little different from what Mumbai, and by extension, India have been used to in their history. Thakur is a hit the deck bowler, getting extra bounce and occasional unpredictable seam movement which makes him practically unplayable at times. Over the years, he has also developed other skills, such as the outswinger, which he is extremely proficient at bowling. With the ability to maintain his seam positions while maintaining his pace, he poses a serious threat to batsmen the world over.
His bowling style might not be best suited for T20 cricket as proved by his not-so-glittery IPL career, but he is the kind of asset India would want in off-white attire in the near future. Shardul's career and his success is a testimony to the hard work he has done, and after an impressive start to his limited-overs international career, he certainly looks like a talent to watch out for in future. With his batting being resourceful, especially in powerhitting, India have tended to use Shardul purely to increase batting depth. Which brings in the point that he could become an all-rounder if he wants to. Realistically, it's about being a more complete bowler with the batting an added bonus.
Shardul Thakur was traded from the Delhi Capitals by Kolkata Knight Riders for ahead of IPL 2023. Although Kolkata Knight Riders have plenty of all-rounders, Thakur can bolster the bowling attack. In IPL 2022, Thakur played a few cameos for the Capitals and the Knight Riders will be expecting him to do the same.
Umesh Yadav
Profile
We all love success stories don't we? The cricket romantic in us yearns for those fairytale journeys of youngsters who were scouted from the slums – the 'before' and 'after' pictures do seem to provide a closure of some sort. Hailing from Nagpur, the son of a coal-miner had a family to feed and pursued a career as a police officer. After several failed attempts in the police force and the army, a teen-aged Umesh Yadav turned to cricket in a desperate attempt to make ends meet.
Extremely well-built and unusually fit for an Indian fast bowler,Yadav joined one of the less celebrated teams in the Ranji trophy - Vidarbha. Under the watchful eye of his captain Pritam Gandhe, Yadav discovered and learned the nuances of the leather ball, swiftly earning himself a Ranji debut in 2008 against Madhya Pradesh. He had impressive numbers after his maiden season, picking up 20 wickets at an average of 14.60; however, it was his rapid pace, regularly clocking in the mid-140s along with considerable swing even against the direction of the seam, that caught the eye of the national selectors.
Coinciding with the IPL era, young Umesh was a hot favourite among the franchises for his pace and made his debut in the 2010 edition. Yadav finally got his ODI debut against Zimbabwe the same year but he did not make an impression. On a selection whim, he was named in the squad for the tour to South Africa in December 2010 but had to wait for that coveted Test cap for almost another year, as he made his Test debut at home against the West Indies, becoming the first Test cricketer from Vidarbha. He bagged nine wickets in his first two Tests against the men from the Carribbean, and impressed with the SG ball. However, tougher Tests lay ahead as the rookie pacer was picked for the tour to Australia in December 2011.
India almost didn't show up in Australia as MS Dhoni's team went through a dark transition phase. Nonetheless, the shining light at the end of the tour was Umesh Yadav who impressed with his workhorse attitude, his pace, and most importantly, with the seam movement he could extract with the less-pronounced Kookaburra seam. With 14 wickets in four Tests, he was India's highest wicket-taker on the tour. Alas, a string of injuries followed him after the tour and he was out of the national fold for almost a year.
Yadav returned to international cricket in the 2013 Champions' trophy and did reasonably well to be retained for the 2013 tour of South Africa. With more viable options available and the Indian captain's requirement for control, Yadav remained a fringe player as he had gained the reputation of being a rhythm bowler who could pick up wickets when on song, but struggled for control.
He was roped in by the selectors for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia in 2014/15 due to the lack of options in terms of fast bowling. Yadav exhibited his potential and penetration with 11 wickets across the last 3 Tests. He was, however, more inconsistent than ever, conceding 45 runs in 3 overs in the final Test in Sydney. Although several of his more expensive spells have been that way due to India's largely incompetent slip catching, contemporary cricket is a game of numbers, and as Alan Wilkins so eloquently put it, 'There's no point in being unlucky'. Yadav had to figure out a way to pick up wickets without the assistance of the fielders.
He regained form at the right time as the Indian fast bowling unit came out all guns blazing for their title defence in the 2015 World Cup in Australia, picking up 18 wickets in the tournament and finishing the tournament as India's highest wicket-taker and the third-highest overall. However, perplexing run in test has been an enigma to many. He has been almost unplayable when on a roll, but has managed to scatter it all over the pitch-map to make for an embarrassing reading for a fast bowler at the international level.
However, the Umesh Yadav that we saw in the home series against South Africa in late 2015, was a transformed one. Starting from the aforementioned series until the away tour in Sri Lanka in early 2017, Umesh Yadav 2.0 has taken over. With a fitter, better-built body, he has been India's reliable figure in an assembly-line of fragile bodies breaking down amidst long tours.
Furthermore, Yadav figured out his optimum trajectory to bowl, making use of the crease and making the ball swing late in its flight. He even managed to start delivering the ball that continues to be an enigma for batsman: the ball that has its seam pointed towards the slip and swings back in due to the pace overpowering the natural aerodynamic behaviour. He has also developed a scrambled seam delivery of a flat trajectory which moves unpredictably off the seam and can catch the best of batsmen off-guard if bowled in the right areas.
He made use of the Dukes ball in the West Indies to bounce batsmen out, and the SG in ball in India's extended home season to skittle some of the best batting line-ups in the world in conditions not particularly favourable for fast bowling. He has shown exemplary control and furious pace with all three brands of red ball over the last 2 years, and the Umesh Yadav, who would just show up in short spurts has been out there for long-haul for the world to witness: Invariably unplayable with the new ball; bowling a spell that batsmen dread and wish to see through unscathed. India has been on the look-out for a tear-away, intimidating fast bowler for a long time, and Yadav, who has just turned 30, is just about at his peak.
His extraordinary home performances beg the question; with his renewed control and fearsome pace, just how good will he be when he goes abroad again? Only time will tell as a quiet fast bowler from Nagpur takes off for Cape Town on his quest to wreak havoc on the Proteas and forge his name in Indian cricketing folklore by earning them their maiden series victory in the rainbow nation.
This remains a dream, however, and the onus remains on India's premier spearhead to fulfill it. 2018 is likely to be a make-or-break year for Umesh Yadav; a year that can propel him to immortality in Indian cricket's hall of fame. A coal-miner's son from Nagpur, now India's premier fast bowler, is India's trump card for their maiden Test series wins in South Africa and Australia.
He was a shock omission when India toured South Africa in 2018, despite a breakthrough season at home where he showed that he was India's premier pacer, possessing swing, seam, and reverse-swing among other arts. India went on to lose the series 1-2. After a noteworthy IPL 2018 for RCB, Umesh once again caught the eye of Virat Kohli, his franchise/national captain, and was picked for the tour of England in mid-2018. After a lacklustre 1st Test, however, he was left out of the side and never made it back to the playing XI in the remainder of the series. Already past the 30 mark, Umesh has a limited number of series to make a mark in Indian history as a historic overseas performer, given the relatively low shelf-life of a fast bowler; and he would hate to be remembered as another Indian fast bowler that could have become a match-winner.
IPL through the years
Umesh Yadav has had some very loyal franchises supporting him. First though it was Delhi Daredevils who spotted the raw talent and roped in the speedster for the 2010 season, where Umesh played a handful of games and the figures were also not very impressive. He missed out in 2011 before returning with a bang in 2012 - 19 wickets at 23 and the fourth highest wicket taker.
He had another good spell with the country's capital franchise before moving to Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014. Umesh went there and immediately won the IPL, his contribution being 11 wickets. With the changing nature of the Eden Gardens surface, the India pacer went on to become a crucial member of the KKR team. In his time with Kolkata, Umesh picked up 48 wickets - still the fourth highest in the franchise's history.
However, with an eye to build a team for the future, Umesh was let go for the 2018 edition. Royal Challengers Bangalore took that opportunity and bought him for INR 4.2 crore. He immediately repaid the faith in the management by claiming 20 wickets in his first season and was also retained for the next year.
Umesh Yadav made an impressive comeback for KKR in 2022 where he claimed 16 wickets in 12 matches. With the new ball he took some early wickets and also his economy in the tournament was also on the lower side as compared to the previous seasons of IPL. In 2023, Umesh Yadav can bring in some experience along side Ferguson playing at their home venue in Eden Gardens. KKR will be expecting him to have another successful season this time around.
Mohammed Siraj
Profile
An unknown quantity before the 2016-17 season, Mohammed Siraj, made a name for himself as he guided Hyderabad to a quarter-final finish in the Ranji Trophy, taking 41 wickets from nine matches and finishing as the third leading wicket-taker in the coveted tournament. A late bloomer as per Indian cricketing standards, Siraj took to serious cricket only in 2015.
The speedster missed out on the Ranji season in 2017-18 and played only one game but he was back for the Vijay Hazare trophy and starred with the ball for Hyderabad. He picked up 23 wickets in 7 games which included 3 5-wicket hauls. The 'Hyderabad Express' also nipped out 10 wickets from 5 games in the Syed Mushtaq Ali tourney.
IPL through the years
The right-arm quick caught the eyeballs during the 2017 IPL auctions when Sunrisers Hyderabad bought him for INR 2.6 crore from a base price of 20 lakh. He didn't feature much as he got only six games, but he impressed by picking up 10 wickets. However, his erratic bowling nature worked against him as he was let go the next season.
Royal Challengers Bangalore trying to form a new team identified Siraj's talent and went after him in the 2018 auctions. They beat four other franchises to land Siraj at Bangalore for INR 2.6 crore. He did not start the first few games but once picked he became Kohli's go-to death bowler and ended the season with 11 scalps and thus ensured he was retained for the following edition.
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