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The sixth-bowling option is hurting India in Australia. Hardik Pandya, probably India's best big-hitting all-rounder, has clarified his inablity to manage the work-load consistently. It seems he'll only play as a lower-order batsman for the moment.
Pandya's absence as a bowler has forced India to go with just 5 bowlers - one of them being an all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja - with no leeway if any of them has an off-day.
India's losses to Australia in the ODIs on Friday and Sunday have fomented the debate around why a 1.5 billion-strong country hasn't been able to manufacture good fast bowling all-rounders.
Pandya gave his two cents on the issue:
"More than injury, the sixth bowler's role is when someone from the five bowlers is having a bad day, they come and fill those overs so the other guy gets more cushion. Maybe we will have to find someone who has already played India, and groom them and find a way to make them play"
So who can India groom as the next big thing in the all-rounder bracket in time for the T20 World Cup next year?
Potential all-rounders for India
Shivam Dube
Shivam Dube's journey has been a roller-coaster. He came to the fore as a husky batter and an adequate bowling option for the Mumbai Ranji team. He was still fledgling when the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise roped him as a prospect and handed him the role of a finisher.
His IPL records are nothing significant. But to be fair, his opportunities have been limited. When a place even in the RCB seemed uncertain, he was added to the Indian T20 squad.
Most batting chances in his 12 T20I innings came late in the innings with not much left to do. He also struggled when the situation demanded pragmatic hitting. But in the game when he was promoted up the order, he scored a brisk 54 displaying potential.
Dube's makes up for his slow medium-pace with thrift. Virat Kohli recently talked about the need for a Marcus Stoinis-like all-rounder, and Dube is as alike as they come.
If he can work on his bowling while strengthening his finishing skills at the same time, the 27-year-old can be a real star for the future.
Kamlesh Nagarkoti
Kamlesh Nagarkoti took 5 wickets in 10 games in the IPL 2020. More than the wickets, however, it was the 22-year-old's determination against the best in the business that made him shine.
Nagarkoti is a real talent. He is lean but powerful which shows in his 145-kph cannonballs. In the U-19 World Cup, 2018, he turned out to be a gem for India with 9 wickets at just 16.33 in six games.
An unexplored facet of his game has been his batting. He has the highest List A score of 56* (from 9 games) and was used as an all-rounder both for India U-19 and the IPL. But it seems he hasn't worked on his batting recently.
One of the reasons could be the injury woes that kept him out of IPL 2018 and 2019.
As a sign of being on the mind of the selectors, Nagarkoti was included in India's squad for Australia but had to bail-out to nurse his injury. India should not only build him as a fast bowler but also utilize his full potential as a batsman. Who knows? He could be the missing piece of the puzzle.
Harshal Patel
Those who followed India's domestic competitions in 2019 won't be surprised to see Harshal Patel in this list.
The experienced all-rounder is an underrated asset for India. With 52 wickets, he was the leading wicket taker for Haryana and broke the 36-year record held by the legendary first class spinner Rajinder Goel.
"It is easy for a spinner to pick up the maximum wickets in a season in Indian conditions, but for a pacer to do that means a lot more,” Goel had said then in an interaction with IANS.
As a batsman, Patel played some crucial innings at number 8 including run-a-ball 50s and a highest score of 65.
Interestingly, in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Patel was the fourth highest run-scorer. The names preceding him will surely ring a bell: Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Surya Kumar Yadav. All of them have caught our attention in the IPL 2020.
Patel opened for his side in the T20 tournament. He scored 372 runs at 31.17 at a staggering strike-rate of 165. He was also the third highest wicket taker with 19 wickets at 15.95. Unfortunately, unlike the aforementioned three players, he didn't get many chances in the IPL 2020.
Among him, Dubey, and Nagarkoti, the 30-year-old Patel is the most complete product. Given the right attention, he can be fine-tuned to become exactly what India is in search for.
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