Five greatest cricketers from Haryana
Haryana, the northern state of India is a fertile ground for cricketers. Over the years, the state has produced several cricketers and some of them have left their mark at the international level.
It is interesting to note that the captain of India's first world cup win and the bowler who produced the most decisive wicket of Misbah-ul-Haq in the 2007 World cup, both belong to Haryana.
The state's rich cricket infrastructure has resulted in the grooming of young cricketers like Nitin Saini and Yuzvendra Chahal who are strong contenders of finding a spot in India's national team.
Let us talk about the five greatest cricketers produced by Haryana and chalk out the tremendous contributions of this state.
#1. Jayant Yadav
Jayant Yadav looks unthreatening and on the surface his off-spin bowling is venomless. His action is not mysterious, his variations are predictable and he doesn't even have in his armory a magic delivery that keeps the batsman on his toes.
But even with all these limitations, the off-spinner has emerged as one of the best bowlers in Ranji cricket in the last few years and has stayed at the top for a consistent period. His ability to bowl accurately for long periods is impressive and he has the rare skill of making the ball talk on flat surfaces as well. After making his debut in 2011, he quickly rose to fame for his bowling exploits and later slammed a double-hundred to exhibit his batting talent.
Over the years his all-round performances have only improved and that resulted in his inclusion in India's Test team. Although his bowling wasn't too impactful in his debut Test series, he did make a mark by scoring a hundred against England.
In four Tests, Yadav has 11 wickets to his name and with the bat, he averages 45.60. His matured bowling and useful batting make him a handy cricketer and hence in future he may play once again for India's Test team.