An Indian batting top 6 with just wicketkeeper batsmen

India has become a pool of talent in cricket. Everyday new talents emerge from around the country which helps us to build a strong international team. There are so many players in India that we can form multiple teams that can compete at international level. We also have IPL where we see lots of young faces which shows India has a bright future in cricket. This year we saw franchises going for very high prices for different players. We saw a new trend this year, there was a huge demand for bowlers and wicket-keeper batsmen. Team needs players who excels at multiple qualities. There was a time when wicket-keepers were picked just for wicket-keeping but today a wicketkeeper needs to be a good batsman too.

This year we saw a lot of competition in the wicketkeeper batsmen. These wicketkeeper batsmen attracted huge bids ahead of the IPL season. There were few wicketkeeper batsmen who performed exceptionally this year. They were not only good with the gloves but also scored lot of runs with their bat. These wicket keeper batsmen were no less than any regular batsmen that are picked for Indian team at international level. They were so good that we can form a imaginary batting order of these batsmen. Each one of them were different from one another. They possessed different batting technique and skills which made them suitable for different batting positions in the batting order. Here is that batting order of the six wicketkeeper batsmen for the Indian team

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1. KL Rahul

KL Rahul was picked at a whopping price of 11 crores by Punjab in the IPL auction. The Kings XI Punjab wicket-keeper batsman justified his massive price tag by scoring 659 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 158.41. He also scored the fastest IPL fifty of all time - off just 14 balls.

Rahul played brilliantly the entire season. He was aggressive in the power-play overs with his cracking shots and showed ability to hit all over the ground. His contributions were huge in the matches which Kings XI Punjab won and he even chased a few scores single-handedly.

Rahul also scored a wonderful hundred against England in the first T20I against them. The Bengaluru lad has grown tremendously as a responsible and destructive batsman in the 2018. He is the first choice for the opener in this team

2. Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan is a left-handed wicketkeeper batsman who plays for Jharkhand in the domestic circuit. Kishan captained India at the Under-19 World Cup in 2016 in Bangladesh, where his team lost in the final to the West Indies.

He impressed Mumbai Indians with his domestic performances in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed mushtaq Ali Trophy. Mumbai Indians bid a whooping 6.2 crores to secure his services in the auction. He batted brilliantly in the IPL for Mumbai, with a lightning innings of 62 of just 21 balls against KKR the pick of the lot. He has matured a lot and adjusted really well according to the situation of the game and his batting position.

In this teamr he would be a brilliant option for opening. He will also give a left-hand and right hand combination for opening to maximize powerplays.

3. Sanju Samson :

Sanju Samson is a young wicket-keeper batsman who made his first-class debut at the age of 17 for Kerala against Vidarbha. He is a solid player who has good batting technique and solid wicket-keeping skills. He usually bats at number 3 in the IPL and has played some brilliant innings at that position.

He was the highest run-getter for Kerala in the 2017-18 Syed Mushtaq Ali and the Ranji Trophy. In 2018, Rajasthan Royals picked him again for a price of 8 crores. He justified his price by scoring brilliant 441 runs in the season which also included an amazing innings of 92 against RCB. Samson would be a good number 3 in this batting order as he would provide stability to the batting line-up.

4. Rishabh Pant :

Rishabh Pant rediscovered himself in this year's IPL. He scored massive 684 runs in 14 innings at a scintillating strike rate of 173.60, ending as one of the top run getters. Against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Pant played a memorable knock of 128* of just 63 balls which helped Delhi put up a respectable total of 187 on the board. Pant also hit the most sixes and fours in this IPL season, with the count being 37 sixes and 68 fours.

Pant was also the highest run scorer in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy this year. He played with responsibility and composure in the middle order. He showed everyone that he knows how to build a proper innings and later accelerate at the death.

He has also played brilliantly and sensibly in all formats for Indian A in recently completed England tour. Rishabh Pant is an excellent choice to bat at number four in this team.

5. Dinesh Karthik :

Dinesh Karthik grabbed limelight again in 2017 when he finished as the highest run-getter in the Vijay Hazare trophy. He was rewarded with a national call-up for his consistent showings. Dinesh Karthik has made a solid comeback in the international circuit.

He played a crucial role in Nidahas Trophy where he scored 29 runs of 8 balls in the final to clinch the trophy. In this match India needed five runs of the Last ball, Dinesh Karthik closed this game by hitting a flat six to Soumya Sarkar.

Dinesh Karthik was also phenomenal in the IPL this year. He was excellent as a finisher for Kolkata Knight Rider. He scored 498 runs at striker rate of 147.77 for KKR which helped them to reach the qualifiers. Karthik would be a solid number 5 batsman in this team.

6. Manendra Singh Dhoni :

Dhoni scored 455 runs in 16 innings with an amazing average of 75.83 in this year's IPL season. This year Dhoni played ferociously with his strike going up to 150.66 - from 116 last year. There was a huge doubt about Dhoni's form before the start of the IPL but he silenced his critics with his belligerent batting and impeccable captaincy.

He played some brilliant knocks for CSK this year which helped them win some close thrillers. Dhoni had an amazing season at the IPL this year, as they won their third title this year. Dhoni hit 30 sixes in the 2018 IPL season, his highest ever for any season. He showed everyone why he was picked first at the time of retention at price of 15 crores.

Dhoni is one of the best finishers the game has seen, so he would be a perfect number 6 batsman for this team.