3 fringe fast bowlers who can solve India's woes in T20Is ft. Mohsin Khan
India's woes with the ball in the T20I format once again took the limelight on Tuesday as they failed to defend a mammoth target of 223 against Australia in Guwahati. The Men in Blue couldn't stop the Aussies from completing the highest successful run-chase against India in T20Is.
This speaks volumes about the lack of depth the hosts have in their fast bowling department, especially in the shortest format. The likes of Prasidh Krishna being carried all around the park at the death also underlined the importance of finding fast bowlers who could arguably be called T20 specialists.
Apart from Arshdeep Singh and Mukesh Kumar to a certain extent, India don't have many options apart from falling back to the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. They had to go back to Mohammed Shami in the 2022 T20 World Cup and it is arguably disappointing that the situation hasn't changed much since a year ago.
However, there are a few potential solutions for India when they look at the bowlers in the fringe who have been doing well. Here are three bowlers who the Men in Blue need to take a punt on in T20Is:
#3 Yash Thakur
Vidarbha pacer Yash Thakur had made a reputation for himself as someone who could nail the yorkers at will. Going into the IPL 2023 season, Thakur had an opportunity to prove his mettle and he certainly grabbed eyeballs with his performances.
In nine matches, Thakur took 13 wickets and while the economy rate was 9.08, the youngster was able to bowl really well at the death. This is one area where India needs to improve in T20Is, especially if they don't want to be overdependent on Bumrah and Arshdeep.
#2 Mohsin Khan
A pacer who has been in and out of competitive cricket due to injuries, Mohsin Khan has shown what he is capable of in both IPL and domestic cricket. In IPL 2022, Mohsin picked up 14 wickets in nine games at an economy rate of just 5.97.
While injuries kept him out of action for a lot of months, Mohsin was back with a bang in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023. He picked up 11 wickets in just five games at an economy rate of 5.84.
Capable of swinging the new ball as well as nailing his yorkers at the death, Mohsin could be a valuable addition to the Indian team if he is able to stay fit and play consistently.
#1 Mohit Sharma
A name that could raise a few eyebrows since he is already 35 years of age, Mohit Sharma has proven that age is just a number. Someone who was a regular in the Indian team under MS Dhoni, Mohit had an incredible IPL 2023 season where he was able to turn back the clock.
In 14 matches, Mohit Sharma picked up a staggering 27 wickets as he helped Gujarat Titans go all the way to the final. His well-disguised slower deliveries were often too tough to hit for the batters and that's what got him most of his success.
With the T20 World Cup just about seven months away, it won't be a bad game plan to bring back Mohit Sharma and give him the role of being the death overs specialist, an area India really needs to address.