4 promising players from domestic cricket who could debut for India in the near future
Many under-19 players have gone on to become successful players for team India at the highest level. Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, and most recently Rishabh Pant and Prithvi Shaw have been able to debut for India after strong performances in youth cricket. Even in domestic tournaments like Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy, the competence levels have gone up significantly in the recent years. They are consistently providing skillful cricketers to the international team.
Here are some of the top performers from the domestic cricket who may debut for Indian national team in the near future.
Notable mentions - Krunal Pandya, Srikar Bharath
#4 Krishnappa Gowtham (Karnataka)
Bowling all-rounder, K Gowtham was one of the stand-out performers for the Rajasthan Royals franchise in this year's IPL. He played useful cameos with the bat and provided breakthroughs with the ball whenever his team needed them the most. He displayed his big-hitting prowess in one of the matches in the tournament, where he won the game for his team almost single-handedly.
He has played 24 first-class games till now and has picked up 85 wickets including 5 five-wicket hauls. He has not scored many runs though but has a strike rate of 168.89 in 42 T20 matches that he has played. His strike-rate shows his attacking ability which could be helpful in the lower order for any team.
In the last Ranji season 2017-18, he was one of the most consistent performers in the tournament. He played 8 matches and picked up 34 wickets, including 2 five-wicket hauls.
India currently doesn't have a right-arm off-spinner in their limited overs squad so K Gowtham can be added to the already lethal spin combination. He can also be used as a floater in the batting order given his big hitting ability.
#3 Rajneesh Gurbani (Vidarbha)
Nagpur-born Rajneesh Gurbani made his first-class debut in 2016. He was one of the breakout stars from the last year's Ranji trophy season. He ended the tournament as the second highest wicket-taker behind Jalaj Saxena. He was the leading wicket-taker among the pace bowlers.
He is not an express fast bowler as he generally operates around 130-135 kmph but he has the ability to swing the ball both ways at a skiddy pace. His ability to swing the ball consistently off the pitch makes him a very good prospect for India in the near future. He can be a good back-up option for Indian swing stalwart Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
He has played 6 matches in the 2017-18 Ranji season and picked up 39 wickets including 5 five-wicket hauls.