Three uncapped Indians who can be groomed for finisher's role in T20Is
India's campaign at the T20 World Cup 2021 ended with a consolation victory over Namibia by nine wickets on Monday. It was Virat Kohli's last match as T20I skipper, while Ravi Shastri's tenure as head coach also came to an end.
With the next T20 World Cup scheduled to be played in Australia next year, new head coach Rahul Dravid has his task cut out in resolving a few issues. Along with newly-appointed T20I skipper Rohit Sharma, Dravid is well aware of the weaknesses in the current Indian setup.
One of it is the lack of sufficient bench strength among finishers - batters at No 6 and 7 who can tonk the ball from the word go. Hardik Pandya's form and fitness have been a cause for concern in recent times, leaving Ravindra Jadeja as the only other viable option at present.
Barring Hardik and Jadeja, there is no other finisher in the side. While Rishabh Pant certainly fulfills the criteria, the fact remains that he is far too valuable and skillful to not bat higher up the order.
With a T20 World Cup in Australia next year, now is the time to start identifying a few potential finishing options and groom them.
We take a look at three uncapped players for T20I:
#3 Deepak Hooda
Deepak Hooda is not an unfamiliar name by any means. The middle-order batter made heads turn with the ball during the U19 World Cup 2014, even picking up a five-wicket haul with his off-spin.That said, it is as a batter that Hooda has made a name for himself in the IPL and in domestic cricket. Having given a good account of his six-hitting prowess for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2015, Hooda was touted for bigger things. Sadly, consistency in the marquee T20 league has eluded him over the years.
Sporadic performances of note for the Punjab Kings, where Hooda often batted at No 4 through the middle-overs, underlined the talent that he possesses. Against spin in particular, Hooda looks at ease and is capable of clearing the fence off the quicks as well. Add to that his ability to chip in with a couple of overs. It makes him quite a valuable commodity.
Deepak Hooda in Syed Mushtaq Ali 2021:
75*(39)
50(28)
70*(36)
21(16)
75(47)
Hooda is in the midst of a purple patch in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, with 291 runs at an average of 97 and a strike-rate of 175.30 for Rajasthan. Perhaps an ideal time to start grooming him for T20I? Mind you, he is only 26 and if a clear-cut role is handed to him, he may well translate his talent and fulfill his potential.
#2 Abdul Samad
Few Indian batters have the panache and skill in equal measure to take the attack to the bowlers at any stage of the innings like Abdul Samad. The right-hander from Jammu and Kashmir had a breakout 2019-20 Ranji Trophy season.
While he also gave a good account of himself for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, Samad has not really set the stage on fire in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. That said, however, Samad is rated highly by cricket pundits as one for the future. His ability to chip in with a few overs of leg-spin and being a good fielder to boot makes him an exciting T20 package.
Samad has fearlessly taken the attack to high-quality speedsters like Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Pat Cummins and Jasprit Bumrah in the IPL. An enforcer against spin as well, Samad is equally as good batting in the mid-overs as he is at the death.
Fair to say then that a talent of this caliber needs to be looked after and drafted into the scheme of things at the earliest. The long boundaries in Australia are not easy to clear by any means, but for Samad there is no boundary that is long enough. With a strike-rate of 146.05 across his two IPL seasons, now is a good time to integrate Samad into the scheme of things for higher honors.
#1 Shahrukh Khan
The muscle-power of Tamil Nadu's Shahrukh Khan was truly on display during the 2020-21 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. And that too, on a sluggish surface in Ahmedabad during their quarterfinal clash against Himachal Pradesh.
Tamil Nadu were struggling during their chase of 136, with the asking rate suddenly skyrocketing to close to 10 runs per over. And that's when Shahrukh entered the arena and launched an impressive counter-attack to seal the game for his side with an unbeaten 40 off 19 deliveries.
Mind you, it's not all madness with his batting though - take for instance his 36-ball 47 in just his second IPL game earlier this year. With the Punjab Kings in tatters at 19/4 inside the fifth over, Shahrukh led the recovery with some smart maneuvering before showcasing his hitting prowess. While PBKS fell well short of a competitive total, Shahrukh showed immense composure and skill in batting with the tail.
His high backlift and long levers saw PBKS head coach Anil Kumble liken him to Kieron Pollard. Accolades rarely get better than that. For a man who takes on hard length deliveries without breaking a sweat, Shahrukh could be a valuable commodity in Australian conditions. Surely, the time is right to fast-track him.