Best second-string Indian XI
Pujara is reasonably a successful Indian playerThe unforeseen humiliation of a series loss to Bangladesh had many rummaging through names in the Indian domestic circuit for possible replacements. The regulars haven’t lived up to expectations, one of the primary reasons put forward being fatigue from the exhausting schedule.To be fair, the core group of players has been playing continually since the New Zealand tour, and their tiredness is not unjustified. That is precisely what persuaded me to delve into the bench strength and pick out the best eleven from the ranks.Not surprisingly, as Alagappan Muthu mentioned in his article, India’s reserves hardly look formidable, with most of them having not featured in more than 10 international matches.However, as I present here the best second-string Indian XI, it is to be remembered that:- Consistency in domestic competitions, and not just current IPL performance, has been considered.- This is not a rookie XI but rather a combination of youngsters and domestic experience that can put up a resistance against the best line-ups in one-day cricket.- Only players excluded from the recent Bangladesh ODI series have been taken into account.
#1 Shreyas Iyer
Popular as the Virender Sehwag of Under-19 cricket, Shreyas Iyer marked his debut Ranji season with 809 runs from just 10 matches for Mumbai. Averaging 50.56 in 17 innings, the 20-year old hammered his way to two centuries, in addition to 6 fifties. He replicated that form in List A cricket, scoring 273 runs at an average of 54.60 in 6 matches.
Having bagged an unexpectedly expensive contract for the Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2015, Iyer went on to score 439 runs from 14 matches at a strike-rate of 128.36. In an otherwise depleted Delhi batting line-up, the talented right-hander stood out with his aggressive strokeplay and fearlessness, making the world sit up and take notice.
Alternative: KL Rahul