Indian squad for Zimbabwe tour: Why the young team is a great sign for domestic cricket
Following a hectic two months of Indian Premier League (IPL), Indian cricket fans will be relieved that international cricket will return with India's tour of Zimbabwe starting on June 11. There may not be many big names on the roster, however, it will be an opportunity for some of the young promising players to make their mark on the international circuit.
Last year's tour to Zimbabwe did give chances to a few youngsters as well as some fringe players to shine. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) went with the same strategy and did not pick most players who would be featuring in the tour of West Indies that follows the limited-overs series in Zimbabwe.
Although the team will be led by India's limited-overs skipper, MS Dhoni, none of the other players in the selected squad have an experience of even 50 internationals. Ambati Rayudu, who represented India in 34 matches (31 ODIs and 3 T20Is) is the one with the second highest international experience.
The players who have been selected have all been following impressive domestic seasons in addition to impressing in the recently completed IPL. Although there might have been a few players who missed out on making it to the final 16, it might inspire those players to look forward to next domestic season and create a positive impression on the national selectors.
Impressing in the Domestic Circuit
Only four players who featured in last year's Zimbabwe tour have made it to the tour this too, with the players being Rayudu, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Axar Patel, and Dhawal Kulkarni. The four of them have done well in the domestic season as well as taking their chances for the national side when given the chance.
Despite not playing a single match for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL, Mandeep Singh made it to the squad. This was mainly due to his form in the domestic circuit after he finished the 2015/16 Vijay Hazare Trophy as the highest run-getter. Mandeep scored 394 runs in 7 matches at an average of 65.66 and a strike rate of 88.73.
Jadhav, Faiz Fazal, and Rishi Dhawan, all three of them also scored 300-plus runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for their respective sides. Dhawan also picked up 9 wickets in 7 matches, displaying his all-round capabilities. Kulkarni, after impressing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali, continued his good form in the IPL too picking up a total of 33 wickets in the two tournaments.
Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel finished as the top wicket-takers with 21 and 19 wickets each respectively. Sran, who might have been overshadowed at Sunrisers Hyderabad, by the bowling trio of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mustafizur Rahman, and Ashish Nehra also earned his place in the national side after finishing as Punjab's second highest wicket-taker at Vijay Hazare Trophy with 14 wickets.
Jaydev Unadkat, who last played for India in 2013, also earned a call-up after his bowling performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy picking up 11 wickets in 6 matches. Jayant Yadav, who will be hoping to make his debut, started the 2015-16 Ranji season with his second first-class hundred while batting at No. 4. Karun Nair, who has been impressive for a long time in the domestic circuit, finally got a deserved call after performing well for Delhi Daredevils in the IPL.
Looking Ahead
All these things only go to on underline the fact that performing well in the domestic circuit is of paramount importance. This also probably changes the misconception that the selection committee is looking only for people from the IPL.
Krunal Pandya, who had a very impressive run with both bat and ball in the IPL, might have felt hard done by after not getting selected for the national side. However, it could be an added source of motivation for the youngster to go out and put in good performances for Baroda in the domestic circuit.
Yuzvendra Chahal is probably the prime example of what patience and consistency can get a player. Since 2014, Chahal has been impressive for the RCB, picking up 56 wickets in 42 matches. He will be looking to use his wile and guile to outfox the batsmen in Zimbabwe, where the pitches might not assist spinners as much.
Although Zimbabwe might not be the strongest team around in world cricket, it is a great opportunity, nevertheless, for the young players selected in order to earn a regular place in the national side. This will, in addition, help other domestic players to perform better in the upcoming seasons.
The domestic cricket scene in India has not always been the best, with fans only thronging the stadiums for the finals of different tournaments. With the added incentive of impressing national selectors, it could help improve the quality of cricket played the domestic teams in longer and shorter formats of the game. This, in turn, could result in more fans coming to watch some good talents at work.
With India set to play three ODIs and three T20Is in Zimbabwe starting from June 11, Dhoni will be looking forward to lead the young guns to a convincing series win over the hosts. It remains to be seen how many of the youngsters can handle the pressure of putting on the blue jersey and translate their domestic form to the international circuit.