Profiling the 4 non-IPL players in the India A squad that finished runners-up in the Emerging Asia Cup 2023
India A fought hard in the final of the Emerging Asia Cup 2023, but fell short at the hands of a significantly more experienced Pakistan A side in Colombo on Sunday, July 23.
Most of India's squad are part of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises. Yash Dhull finished as the team's leading run-scorer (and second-highest overall), followed by Abhishek Sharma and B Sai Sudharsan.
Meanwhile, Nishant Sindhu and Rajvardhan Hangargekar ended the competition as the two highest wicket-takers.
India's squad for the Emerging Asia Cup 2023: Sai Sudharsan, Abhishek Sharma (vc), Nikin Jose, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, Yash Dhull (c), Riyan Parag, Nishant Sindhu, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Manav Suthar, Yuvrajsinh Dodiya, Harshit Rana, Akash Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Rajvardhan Hangargekar.
There were four players in the main squad who weren't part of IPL teams in the recently concluded 2023 edition of the league. In this article, we attempt to profile them while highlighting their recent displays, including in the Emerging Asia Cup 2023.
#4 Manav Suthar
Manav Suthar was one of the standout performers for India A in the Emerging Asia Cup 2023. The left-arm spinner played all five matches for the side, ending up with 10 wickets at an economy rate of 4.2. He was the third-highest wicket-taker in the competition.
Suthar impressed all with his control, flight and turn. He got the ball to dip considerably and bowled well against unfavorable match-ups as well. The 20-year-old did have an expensive outing in the final, as did all the other bowlers, but he was near perfect until then.
Suthar has played eight first-class games for Rajasthan, with an incredible 44 wickets to his name at an average of 21.13. He has also made two T20 appearances for his state side, with two wickets.
The kicker, though, is Suthar's batting ability. Although we haven't seen much of it yet, he has a highest score of 96 not out in FC cricket and made a valuable 21 in the semi-final of the Emerging Asia Cup against Bangladesh A.
It won't be long before we see Suthar at the IPL level.
#3 Nikin Jose
India's top four in the Emerging Asia Cup 2023 were also their top four run-scorers, rather understandably. Their No. 3, Nikin Jose, quietly went about his business, amassing 122 runs at an average of 40.66. He also stood out for his fielding, plucking a few stunners in India's win over Bangladesh.
Jose has played nine first-class matches and 15 List A games, with excellent numbers in both formats. He averages 49.72 in the former and 51.72 in the latter, having notched up four fifties and one century in each of them. The youngster has also shown glimpses of his hitting ability in the Maharaja T20 Trophy.
It was no surprise, therefore, that Jose was fast-tracked to the India A setup. Having had a decent tournament, he could move on to bigger and better things, one of which could be the IPL.
#2 Yuvrajsinh Dodiya
Yuvrajsinh Dodiya played India A's last two games in the Emerging Asia Cup 2023, once the pitches slowed down considerably and started to offer significant turn. The young off-spinner returned one wicket at an economy rate of 6.5, including an important spell against Bangladesh A.
Dodiya is another spinner with an impressive first-class record. The 22-year-old, who represents Saurashtra in domestic cricket, has managed 31 scalps in seven matches at an average of 22.06. He also turned out for West Zone in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy.
Dodiya has a clean action and gets good revolutions on the ball. While we haven't seen much of his variations, he has got the basics right and will no doubt develop his game further.
#1 Pradosh Ranjan Paul
Pradosh Ranjan Paul, as the only player on this list who didn't feature for India A in the Emerging Asia Cup, is the final entrant.
The talented young batter had a breakthrough campaign for Tamil Nadu in the last edition of the Ranji Trophy, amassing 631 runs in seven matches at an average of 70.11. He even captained the side towards the end of the competition at the young age of 22.
Pradosh couldn't deliver in the 2023 Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), although he commenced his campaign with a sizzling 88 for the Chepauk Super Gillies (CSG). The classy left-hander is a technically sound batter who is supremely comfortable against pace and bounce and also has the ability to adapt to various conditions.
Pradosh is already part of zonal squads in domestic cricket across formats and can be expected to crack the IPL code in the near future.