4 fringe Indian players who should be given a chance to prove their case for next year's World T20
There have been a few young players in the Indian domestic circuit who have been consistently showcasing their potential for their state sides , but are somehow getting overlooked by the selectors. However, going ahead with two T20 World Cups lined up in two consecutive years, India need to test them out to see what they have to offer at the highest level of the sport.
And if the youngsters have to be tested, this is the ideal time to do it so that they get enough no. of games to settle in and prove their worth, rather than testing them close to a big tournament and discarding them after a couple of failures as India have done with some players in the recent past.
They gave Shubman Gill two games earlier this year in New Zealand where he had to counter extremely tough batting conditions and as he registered two low scores, he disappeared from the selection radar as the World Cup was approaching and India didn’t have enough time to invest in him. So it’s important to ensure that the youngsters are brought in at a time where they can be allowed to find their feet.
Let’s talk about the 4 young players who, if they are groomed well, can play a substantial role for India in the upcoming T20 World Cup –
#1 Ishan Kishan
India, for quite some time, have been struggling to find a player who can score at a fair clip by playing percentage cricket in the middle overs and Ishan might just fit that bill perfectly. He is an attacking batsman and likes to go after the bowlers, especially the spinners, but he does that without playing the high risk shots.
The 21-year old hits sixes against the spinners straight down the ground by going right to the pitch of the ball. He doesn’t heave across the line from the crease and since he has this ability to reach the pitch of the ball by jumping out of his crease, he can take the spinners on even on turning surfaces because he doesn’t allow the ball to turn.
While Ishan’s strength at the moment is his power hitting against spin bowling, he has got a good range of shots against the fast bowlers as well. He doesn’t get hurried by the pace and can play horizontal bat shots square of the wicket on both sides.
In the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy played just before the IPL, Ishan scored two back to back hundreds and ended up with a total of 333 runs in 8 games with an average of more than 55 and a strike rate of 151.36. The southpaw is definitely worth being given a go.