The Indian Cricket Team’s squad for the limited-overs fixtures against Zimbabwe scheduled for next month was announced today, which saw the selection of an unusual number of new faces in the team’s setup. To be led by the incumbent limited-overs captain, MS Dhoni, the squad features several new faces such as Karun Nair, Faiz Fazal, Jayant Yadav, Mandeep Singh, and Yuzvendra Chahal. Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey, Mandeep Singh and KL Rahul are also set to make their limited-overs appearances.
The bowling department would be spearheaded by Dhawal Kulkarni– the seniormost of all pacers picked– and he would lead an attack comprising of Jasprit Bumrah, Jaydev Unadkat and Barinder Sran. Axar Patel and Rishi Dhawan have also been picked, most likely as potential all-rounders in the team. Axar also doubles up as the only experienced spinner in the squad.
However, if one notices the ongoing IPL season as well as the domestic season that concluded earlier this year, one would feel that some players were left hard done even after their consistent performances over a sustained period of time. Here, we take a look at 5 such players.
1. Krunal Pandya
If the last IPL season had belonged to the younger of the two Pandya brothers, this season has belonged to the elder one. Krunal Pandya was a relatively unknown face in the Indian cricketing arena until he was bought by the Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2016 auctions for INR 2 crores. Even after his selection for the MI squad people didn’t have the slightest of clues about his cricketing prowess and as to what exactly did he bring to the table.
It didn’t take long for that perception to change as Krunal burst onto the scenes with a blistering 86 off just 37 balls, a knock that contained 7 fours and 6 sixes, in a crucial match against the Delhi Daredevils to guide his team to victory. Even before that knock, Krunal had done well with the bat, playing brisk cameos down the order, as well as some tight economical bowling during the middle overs, as well as with the new ball. Overall, from 12 games Pandya scored 237 runs at an average of 39.50 and took 9 wickets at an economy rate of 7.57, and given his all-round capabilities, he deserved a chance to play for the Indian team.
2. Yusuf Pathan
Another hard-hitting batsman, and an experienced one at that, to miss out on a national team recall was Yusuf Pathan. The Baroda right-hander last played for India in 2012, and since then, he has left no stones unturned to forge is selection back into the side only to be ignored by the selectors time and again. In the next three IPL seasons– in 2013, 2014, and 2015– he had batting averages of 30.18, 29.77 and 44.57 as he accumulated 332, 268 and 312 runs from 16, 15, and 13 games respectively.
As if those numbers weren’t enough, he went several notches higher this season, as far as his batting is concerned, as he has aggregated 359 runs from 14 matches so far at an excellent average of 89.75 and a strike-rate of 148.34, and he can add to that tally if the Kolkata Knight Riders do well in the playoffs. With such remarkable performances, and that too on a consistent basis, Pathan did deserve his Team India recall, but wasn’t offered one once again.
3. Sandeep Sharma
A young prospect, Sandeep Sharma has been one of the most consistent performers for the Kings XI Punjab over the past two years. When India last toured Zimbabwe, in 2015, Sandeep featured in the squad for the T20 internationals. However, since then he has not been a part of any Indian squad for any of the limited-overs fixtures that have followed.
Sandeep was one of the vital cogs in the Kings XI bowling attack, as his ability to swing the ball, as well as bowl decently at the death, helped the team in a big manner. From 14 matches, he accounted for 15 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 7.32 and helped his team with crucial breakthroughs when they were needed the most. In the last season as well Sandeep was one of the bright stars in an otherwise gloomy campaign for the Kings XI wherein he picked up 13 wickets from 14 games at an economy rate of just 7 runs per over.
Given these exploits, the 23-year-old certainly deserve a second opportunity in the limited-overs team.
4. Robin Uthappa
Perhaps one of the most consistent performers across all formats in the Indian domestic season over the past couple of seasons, Robin Uthappa has continuously been denied his share of opportunities with the Indian Cricket Team. Despite featuring in the last limited-overs tour to Zimbabwe and performing decently during the T20I series, Uthappa doesn’t find himself in the squad that has been picked this time.
The Karnataka batsman has made the Indian Premier League his run-hunting fortress, as he has been one of the most consistent performers for his franchise, the Kolkata Knight Riders, and has garnered a truckload of runs since his first appearance for the two-time champions in 2014. In the last three seasons, Uthappa has accumulated over 1400 IPL runs at a decent average of 33.33 and a strike rate of 134.
This season as well, the right-hander has been extremely crucial to his team’s success and its subsequent qualification for the playoffs as he has scored 383 runs from 14 games so far, and can add to that tally if KKR reach the final of the tournament. Having said that, it must also not be forgotten that Uthappa was one of the most prolific run scorers in the Ranji Trophy 2015-16 as well, wherein he made 758 runs from 8 matches at an outstanding average of 58.38.
Keeping these stats in mind, one gets the feeling that Uthappa has been extremely unlucky to miss out on a spot in the recently picked team.
5. Gautam Gambhir
When a veteran of 147 ODIs and 37 T20I doesn’t get picked in the limited-overs squad despite being the best batsman for his IPL franchise over the past three seasons, it does raise some questions about the selection process that has been put into practice. It will not be an understatement if it is said that Gambhir was one of the major forces behind the Knight Riders’ title-clinching IPL campaigns in 2012 and 2014.
Since 2012, his batting averages in the IPL have been 39.33, 25.37, 22.33, 25.15, and 39.41 (in a chronological order) and has accumulated over 2000 runs in the league. He has maintained a decent strike rate of around 120 and while that may not have been an extravagant one as far as T20 cricket is concerned, it should certainly have held him in good stead for the ODI team.
In the ongoing season, wherein the Delhi southpaw has successfully led the Knight Riders into the final four and would be competing for the title, he has aggregated 473 runs from 14 games so far at an average of 39.41 and a strike rate of 123.49. However, it wasn’t enough for him to get picked for the Zimbabwe tour.
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