5 domestic pacers who could boost Team India's bench strength

India has always been more famous for the spin bowlers it has given world cricket and good pacers have been a rare breed. In fact, there are just three names that promptly come to mind in terms of Indian fast bowlers who had long and steady careers – Kapil Dev, Javagal Srinath, and Zaheer Khan.

In the current setup, there are a number of talented fast bowlers who have the potential to become future greats for India. Among the most prominent names are Mohammad Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav and the highly experienced Ishant Sharma.

While the team management tends to shuffle between Shami, Bhuvneshwar, and Yadav on most occasions, Ishant leads the attack whenever he is fit to play. Although this foursome is doing a decent job at present, there may be a need to build an effective backup for them.

The best way to go about it is investing in talented pacers from the domestic circuit who have been performing well in the past one or two years. Here are 5 domestic seamers who could bolster Team India's bench strength:

#5 Rush Kalaria (Gujarat)

Talented left-arm pacer Rush Kalaria plays his domestic cricket for Gujarat and has also represented India at the Under-19 level. Kalaria was part of the Indian team which lifted the 2012 Under-19 World Cup in Australia under the captaincy of Unmukt Chand.

In his brief first-class career so far, the 23-year old has been quite impressive as he has claimed 78 wickets in 28 matches at a very good average of a little over 24. His best match figures of 12 for 104 came in the 2014/15 Ranji Trophy against Gujarat, an effort which helped his team win by 8 wickets.

Rush Kalaria has also been a very decent lower order batsman and boasts of a 30-plus average in first-class cricket with 2 centuries to go with it. The youngster can prove to be quite an asset in the Indian Test squad which is currently devoid of a left-arm fast bowler.

#4 Krishna Das (Assam)

Krishna Das has been the star for Assam with the ball (Image Credit: ESPNCricinfo)

Krishna Das, the medium-pacer from Assam, has been in exceptional form with the ball in the past couple of domestic seasons. Das has had quite a phenomenal first-class career with 119 wickets in 33 matches at an average of 22.02 and best innings figures of 7 for 21.

The 2015/16 Ranji Trophy, in particular, saw an outstanding performance from the 25-year old as he ended up being the 2^nd highest wicket-taker with 50 scalps in 10 games at an average of slightly over 16. His terrific showing earned him a spot in the Rest of India team for the Irani Cup match against Ranji champions Mumbai.

This could just be the right time for Krishna Das to become part of Team India’s scheme of things in Test cricket.

#3 Anureet Singh (Railways)

Anureet Singh has also made his mark in the IPL for Kings XI Punjab (Image Credit: ESPNCricinfo)

Railways pacer Anureet Singh has been among the best bowlers in the Indian domestic circuit in recent times. He made his first-class debut in 2008 against Karnataka and produced figures of 6 for 49 in the 2^nd innings of his very first match.

Anureet has played 48 first-class matches in his career and claimed 185 wickets, averaging 25.30 with 14 five-wicket hauls to his name. He performed brilliantly for Railways during the 2015/16 Ranji Trophy with 36 wickets in just 7 matches at an average of just over 18.

Moreover, the 28-year old has also done consistently well in IPL cricket for the Kings XI Punjab side. Considering all these factors, Anureet Singh may have a high chance of at least breaking into the Indian Test squad.

#2 Nathu Singh (Rajasthan)

Nathu Singh’s talent was recognised by the likes of Rahul Dravid (Image Credit: Sportstarlive)

Rajasthan’s Nathu Singh is easily among the most talented fast bowlers in the country at the moment and has caught the eye of many ever since he began in 2015. Although his first-class figures so far do not provide much insight into his skill with the ball, he certainly has turned heads with his raw pace.

Nathu had an exceptional Ranji Trophy debut last season against Delhi as he recorded fine figures of 7 for 87 in their 2^nd innings. The 21-year old was included in the Board President’s XI team which took on the touring South Africans in a 2-day match last year and did cause some trouble to AB de Villiers & co.

With the amount of promise that he has shown at such an early stage of his career, Nathu Singh has a possibility of being fast-tracked into the Indian setup soon enough.

#1 Shardul Thakur (Mumbai)

Shardul Thakur had been drafted in the Indian squad for the 2015 Test series against South Africa

Shardul Thakur has certainly been one of the top fast bowlers in Indian domestic cricket across the past few seasons. The 24-year old has been the star bowler for current Ranji champions Mumbai and played a huge role in their triumph with 41 wickets in 11 matches.

Thakur was the joint highest wicket-taker alongside Karnataka’s Vinay Kumar in the 2014/15 Ranji Trophy as he claimed 48 wickets at an average of 20.81. The quickie was rewarded for his efforts as he earned a call-up to the national squad for the India-South Africa Test series last year.

The youngster retained his spot in the squad even during the West Indies tour. However, Thakur was dropped for the ongoing Test series against New Zealand without having received a chance to make his debut.

Things may not be all that bad for Shardul Thakur, though, as he has perhaps the best chance among all domestic performers to make it into the Indian squad.