4 players who deserve to play for India in limited overs cricket
There is no dearth of talent when it comes to Indian cricket. From the beautiful valleys of Kashmir to the scenic Kanyakumari, cricket is followed as a religion throughout the country.
You can spot a little boy of just four or five years of age with a bat in his hand - such is the craze for the 'Gentleman's game' in India. Team India has always had a big pool of talented players, be it batsmen, bowlers, all rounders or even wicket keepers.
But not all of them get the opportunity they deserve given the heavy competition in India's domestic circuit. There is also a chance that their exceptional performances in the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, Duleep Trophy goes unnoticed.
Let us now look at four talented uncapped players with excellent domestic circuit credentials who are yet to play for India. No doubt, these players may get the chance to play for India in the limited overs formats in the years to come.
Note: Only the uncapped players who have played four or more domestic seasons and at least 65 matches (First class and List A combined) have been considered.
#1 Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav, who plays for Mumbai in the domestic circuit, made his first class debut in the 2010-11 Ranji trophy against Delhi. After some impressive performances for Mumbai over his first two seasons in domestic circuit, he was bought by the Mumbai Indians for the fifth season of the IPL.
He made his IPL debut at the Wankhede Stadium, against the now-defunct Pune Warriors India in April 2012. Since then, there has been no looking back for Yadav, who has so far played 69 IPL matches for Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders, scoring 1124 runs at a strike-rate of 132.39.
He played very well for the Dinesh Karthik-led Knight Riders side this season, scoring 512 runs in 14 matches. Yadav, who has amassed 12 centuries and 22 half-centuries for Mumbai in first class cricket, has scored 4545 runs in 67 matches at an average of 43.70 and also has 24 wickets to his name.
In 62 List A matches, he has scored 1594 runs with his highest score being 134*. An agile fielder, Yadav has taken 125 catches across the first class and List A matches. The talented Mumbaikar though is yet to play a game at international level.