Top 5 all-rounders who can replace Ravindra Jadeja in the Indian team
With the rise of the T20 format, modern cricket has witnessed innovative and beastly power-hitting. What India seems to lack is a maverick genius that almost every other top cricket team is capable of boasting of, someone who is in the team mainly for his big-hitting, someone who has been given the proverbial license to kill and can hit every ball without worrying about getting out.
Think of a Glenn Maxwell or an AB de Villiers or a Brendon McCullum. Think of the eccentric scoops and reverse slog-sweeps. Pre-meditated changes of stance at the last minute and the disdain with which they treat the cricket ball can nonchalantly cast a bowler even of the calibre of Dale Steyn away on the far-away shores of ignominy. And the damage caused to the bowlers' psyche is long-standing as the short breezy innings they play very often makes a considerable impact on the match.
M.S. Dhoni, the man who once symbolised India's fearless brand of cricket, is now more of a calming influence. Without any good finisher to follow after him, every time Dhoni comes in early, it means he has to graft and build the innings only leaving him a few overs to explode at the end. Dhoni is unable to play freely now as he has to shoulder more responsibility. The awareness that there is no other formidable batsman to follow after him intensifies the pressure on him.
One of the main letdowns, therefore, has been the poor form of Ravindra Jadeja. Dhoni has repeated time and again that Jadeja makes the cut because of his ability to fill in as an all-rounder. But Jadeja's performances with the bat or the ball has been nothing noteworthy of late.
With some exciting young talent on the horizon, it is high time India looked for a more consistent all-rounder who can bowl his quota of overs and deliver a few lusty blows. This will also take the added pressure off Dhoni and help him play more freely. Here are a few all-rounders who can possibly replace Jadeja.
Pawan Negi
An economical slow left-arm bowler and a more than capable lower order batsman, Negi is considered by many to be the most capable all-rounder in the making who can replace Jadeja in the shorter format of the game.
Negi was first scouted by Delhi Daredevils for his performances at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Twenty20 competition. Negi was bought by CSK for the 2015 edition of the IPL and though he got very few chances to play, he impressed one and all. He has bowled economically with a tight line and length, picking up crucial wickets at times. He was also backed by his skipper MS Dhoni to bowl the first over against Kings XI Punjab.
Negi said, "In the match against Kings XI Punjab, where I was bowling the first over of the game, I felt the pressure because I had never bowled with the new ball before. So Dhoni asked me to bowl like I would in the middle overs and not worry about having just two fielders outside the circle. His best advice was to ask me not to experiment with my lines and lengths. I followed it and finished the game with the Man of the Match."
He spun a web around the KKR batsmen picking up 5 for 22 in the 2014 CLT20 final and helped CSK clinch the title. As a batsman, Negi can surely pack a punch and was named 'the pocket-sized powerhouse' for his big-hitting during the current edition of the IPL. Negi played many crucial knocks and was even sent in before the likes of Du Plessis, Bravo and Jadeja at times to up the scoring rate.
Axar Patel
Axar Patel got his first IPL contract for the 2013 edition with the Mumbai Indians but spent the entire season warming the bench. But he had a brilliant domestic season after that. He played seven matches for Gujarat in the 2013-14 Ranji Trophy where he scored 369 runs at an impressive average of 46.12 and picked up 29 wickets becoming his side's third highest wicket-taker. He also made a brilliant contribution in the India U-23 team becoming the champions in the ACC Emerging Teams Cup in 2013, picking up four wickets against the UAE in the semi-final.
He was ultimately roped in for IPL 7 by the Kings XI Punjab for his good performances in the domestic circuit. Patel went on to become one of the star performers of the season scoring crucial runs and picking up 7 wickets for which he won the Emerging Player of the Year award. His attitude and temperament also highly impressed his skipper, George Bailey who was effusive in his praise for him.
He made it to the Indian squad for the tour of Bangladesh. He played in all the five matches against Sri Lanka at home in 2014 picking up 11 wickets. He was also a part of the 15-man squad for the 2015 World Cup. He is considered to be the most promising slow left-arm bowler who can be successful for India at the top level for years to come. Should the axe fall on Jadeja anytime soon, Patel is considered to be the hot favourite to fill in his shoes.
Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya grabbed eyeballs with his 31-ball 61 against the Kolkata Knight Ridders in the current edition of the IPL. The innings saw some clean power-hitting with Pandya lofting Sunil Narine for a massive six over long on and plundering 17 runs of Andre Russell of the penultimate over as Kieron Pollard stood transfixed with admiration at the non-strikers' end.
Bought at his base price of 10 lakhs by the Mumbai Indians, Pandya has, many times during IPL 8, stolen the thunder of his more illustrious batting colleagues like Kieron Pollard and Rohit Sharma. Speaking to IPLT20.com about his 31-ball 61, Pandya said: This knock was very special for me. I had a word with Ricky (Ponting) and (Kieron) Pollard before I started my innings and they told me to just take my time because I can make up later in the innings."
Against CSK at Chepauk, Pandya had already gone berserk smashing Negi for three massive sixes in the 19th over going on to score 21 off 8 deliveries which earned him the man of the match award. In an interview to the IPL website, Pointing confessed that he was much impressed with the youngster's batting prowess:
"That kid [Pandya] is fearless and has lots of very good skills. We haven’t seen his bowling much yet but it is particularly good. We saw some of his hitting prowess tonight and even in the game against RCB where he took 16-odd in the last over. He is going to be a very good cricketer going forward and is someone I am excited to continue to work with."
Though grossly under-bowled in the IPL so far, Pandya is a no-nonsense bowler who can do the job well when required. A graduate of the Kiran More International Cricket Academy, Pandya was once asked to roll his arm over for his team as they were one fast bowler short and he came away with an impressive tally of 7 wickets. His genius had been first spotted by the then Mumbai Indians coach John Wright in a West Zone match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last year.
The emerging Mumbai Indians young star who had once had to survive entire days on the cricket field on a meal of Maggi, looks like the most complete batsman among all the emerging bowling all-rounders in India at present. Known for his penchant for hitting the ball hard, he left many including Akash Chopra amazed with his ability to hit the sixes 'without coming out of the crease'.
The hard-hitting all-rounder who has earned the admiration of cricketing stalwarts like Ricky Pointing and Kiran More is unanimously considered to be one for the future. With India in need of a hard-hitting all-rounder who can bat down the order, many believe that it is just a matter of time before Pandya makes his debut for the national team.