3 Young players India should groom for the middle order in ODIs

The final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is just around the corner, but the cricket crazy nation of India is not excited. One billion heartbeats came to an abrupt halt when their beloved team lost the semi-final against New Zealand and bowed out of the tournament.

The current Indian team is filled with many talented cricketers. The team does not have too many glaring issues, but the one issue it has is causing all the trouble. The Men in Blue are desperately looking for a competent player to stabilize the middle-order. India’s ordinary middle-order does not do justice to the magnificent top-order.

This glaring weakness of the team was exposed by the Kiwi bowlers when they got rid of top-three in no time. Everyone from the trio that formed the Indian middle-order: Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik, failed to deliver.

While the first two still managed to get a start, Karthik hardly looked comfortable. The Indian team management must address this issue as soon as possible. Let us have a look at three players India can groom to strengthen their middle-order in the ODI format:

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#3 Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket for the past couple of seasons now

Ever since the last ICC U19 World Cup in 2018, Shubman Gill is considered to be one for the future. Perhaps, the future came sooner than it was expected, and it is time to introduce Gill to the senior setup.

After the Under 19 World Cup, Gill earned himself a lucrative IPL contract with the Kolkata Knight Riders. He has had two great campaigns in IPL so far, scoring runs at an average of over 30 on both the occasions.

That has subsequently earned Gill an India A call-up. In the recently concluded series against Sri Lanka, the teenager from Punjab scored 133 runs in 4 games, at an average of 66. He also maintained an impressive strike rate of over 100.

The 19-year-old was India’s fourth-highest run-scorer in that series, while the three men above him played a match more. Gill is currently a member of the India A side that is facing West Indies A, but stats prove that he is good enough to make the transition to the senior team.

#2 Shreyas Iyer

This youngster has got heaps of talent

Unlike Gill, Shreyas Iyer is a tried and tested cricketer. However, the 24-year-old lad from Mumbai has never got adequate opportunities. He has represented his nation six times in ODIs so far. In those matches, he has scored 210 runs at an average of 42, and a strike rate of nearly 100. Even after his impressive performances, he was dropped out of the team.

It has been a year and a half since Iyer last wore the blue jersey, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he is out of the picture. He is very much in the scheme of things and is now a skipper of his IPL franchise, Delhi Capitals.

With his quick decision-making and 463 runs, he helped the Delhi franchisee reach the playoffs. Consequently, he got selected in the India A side to take on the West Indies A team. Iyer struck 77 runs in the very first match, to justify his selection in the team, and also register his name in the selectors’ notebooks.

#1 Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant looks set to take over from Dhoni

The manner in which Rishabh Pant threw his wicket away at a crucial stage of the semi-final game against India has irked many fans. But as skipper Virat Kohli said in the press conference, Pant is still very young and he will learn from his mistakes. Though he was not a part of the initial 15-man squad, he got drafted into the team following Shikhar Dhawan’s injury.

Since then, he has done a fairly commendable job. In 4 matches, he has scored 116 at an average of nearly 30. Though the numbers are far from what is expected from a talented cricketer like Pant, yet the team management must have faith in him.

Having his place locked and secured in the team will help him play his natural aggressive game, without anything to worry about. If groomed in a proper manner, the 21-year-old lad from Haridwar can become a national asset.