5 Players to look out for Board President's XI in the practice game against South Africa
When South Africa begin their Test sojourn with a two-day practice game against Board President’s XI that begins on October 30 in Mumbai, the Indian selectors would be having a keen eye on the performance of the players in the side.
While the match offers one of those rare opportunities for the youngsters’ to prove their point, scoring runs against the likes of Steyn, Morkel and Tahir and picking up the bigwigs like De Villiers, Amla and De Kock would give them the much-needed confidence to make it to the next level.
Led by Cheteshwar Pujara, there are certain players who are in the contention for a Test call-up for the final two matches and there are few who can turn the tide in their favour by scoring big. Let’s have a look at the top five players’ to look out for:
1. Shreyas Iyer
This 20-year-old from Mumbai currently tops the batsmen chart in domestic circuit with 476 runs in 4 games at a healthy average of 82.66. In the recently concluded round of matches in the Ranji Trophy, he scored a brilliant 173 against Baroda in 183 balls and displayed his ability to score big and quick whenever the situation demands. He would surely be brimming with confidence and this match can be a good ground for him to prove his mettle.
2. Naman Ojha
Ever since Dhoni retired from the Test setup, the debate has been going on about the options available as his permanent replacement. While Wridhiman Saha still gets an edge due to his wicket-keeping ability, his batting is yet to convince the cricketing pundits.
Ojha, a naturally attacking batsmen from Madhya Pradesh, made his Test debut against Sri Lanka recently and has impressed many in his lone appearance. Hailed as the second best wicket-keeping choice after Saha, he can find himself in the Test setup once again if he manages to show some resistance against the South African pace battery and keeps his gloves with utmost efficiency.
3. Nathu Singh
With a meagre experience of only three first-class appearances, the selection of Nathu Singh certainly raised eyebrows. However, this boy from Rajasthan was picked due to his sheer ability to bowl fast.
Applauded by batting maestro Rahul Dravid and held as an ”India Material” by Gautam Gambhir, National selector Rajinder Hans picked Nathu when he was appointed to ensure fair selection in Rajasthan Ranji Squad. We are yet to see much of him but if given an opportunity, he can repeat what Munaf Patel did nine years back and rekindle the fast bowling department of the Indian national team.
4. Karun Nair
Taking his cricketing lessons from his statemate and batting legend Rahul Dravid, Karun Nair stands a fair chance to be selected for the national squad if he makes use of his latest opportunity. Called up as a cover-up batsmen in the Test series against Sri Lanka, Nair has done considerably well in the current domestic season with 363 runs in 4 appearances with an average of 60.5.
His recent performances for the ‘A’ side, the most notable one being his match saving century against South Africa ‘A’, a Test cap does not seem far away from him if he bears the brutalities of South African bowling unit.
5. Kuldeep Yadav
The slow left-arm chinaman from Uttar Pradesh, Kuldeep Yadav brings with him an envious variety in the squad. While his abilities to deceit batsmen across the world have been known to many after his performance in the IPL, this format of the game will be a different experience for him against a good batting side.
South Africans’ are generally considered a side that gets exposed against spin very easily. This rare progeny can utilize on the opposition’s weakness and would no doubt be eyeing this opportunity to prove his reckoning and he might be the next big thing in Indian Cricket.