4 cricketers who could debut for India in 2020

The Indian cricket fans would be happy with their team’s performance in 2019 but one thing that will trouble them is that World Cup semi-final which India could have won, but didn't. Barring that, it was a fabulous year for the Indian team. It all started with the series win Down Under – the first time an Indian team had defeated Australia in Australia.

India started the World Test Championship on the right note as they whitewashed West Indies in away conditions. India continued their home dominance as they won five consecutive Test matches against South Africa and Bangladesh. Towards the end of the year, India won a hard-fought ODI series against the West Indies.

Now that 2019 is over, India will focus on the T20 World Cup in October this year. India is still trying out a few fresh faces in the shortest format. Lately, Shivam Dubey and Navdeep Saini made their debut and were tested. India plays 15 T20Is before the World Cup starts and so they have plenty of time to bring in new talent if required. So, let’s have a look at four players who could make their India debut in 2020.

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#4 Shreyas Gopal

Shreyas Gopal

In the shortest format, a wrist-spinner is necessary weapon and Shreyas Gopal is one of the better spinners going around in the country at the moment. The 26-year-old leg-spinner is an underrated bowler as he tends to go unnoticed on most of the occasions.

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In the last season of the IPL, he got the most wickets by an Indian spinner. He was the pick of the wrist-spinners as he picked up 20 wickets in 14 games at an average of 17.35 and an economy rate of 7.22. The Karnataka lad even got a hat-trick which included the wickets of Virat Kohli, AB De Villiers, and Marcus Stoinis.

Gopal can even contribute with the bat and is a good fielder in the outfield. In the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he was the second-highest wicket-taker with 19 wickets in 12 games. He is constantly performing and so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he is picked for India soon.

#3 Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan is a young aggressive wicket-keeper batsman who plays for Jharkhand. He is a part of the Mumbai Indians team in the IPL. He is a bit like his U-19 teammate Rishabh Pant who likes to go after the bowlers.

The 21-year-old left-hander has been consistently doing well in the domestic circuit. Regularly, he is a part of the India A team as a wicket-keeper. In the IPL, he hasn’t got many opportunities but has shown his potential with a few match-winning knocks, especially the one against Kolkata Knight Riders where he smashed Kuldeep Yadav for four sixes in an over. India needs a back-up keeper who can bat at No. 5 or No.6 and Sanju Samson is more of a top-order batsman. Ishan Kishan can do that job. He is currently part of the India A team which will travel to New Zealand and if he performs well, he could make it to the Indian team this year.

#2 Krishnappa Gowtham

Krishnappa Gowtham

Krishnappa Gowtham is an off-spinner from Karnataka who is performing well in the domestic circuit. He used to play for Rajasthan Royals but was traded to the Kings XI Punjab ahead of this year’s auction.

The 31-year-old off-spinner can bowl in any situation for his team. He can open the bowling as well as bowl the last over. In this year’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he bowled the last over for Karnataka and successfully defended 13 runs. He has bowled the first over for Rajasthan Royals in the last two seasons several times.

He is a finisher who's played some unbelievable cameos for Rajasthan Royals. He is a perfect spin bowling all-rounder to have in your team and will give tough competition to the likes of Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja. He is performing in the Ranji Trophy as well, as he picked up 14 wickets in the opening game to win a thriller for his team. He is knocking on the doors and it is a matter of time before he makes his debut for India.

#1 Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav

Harbhajan Singh recently tweeted showing his disappointment on the non-selection of Suryakumar Yadav - who captains the Mumbai team and is having a dream run in the domestic circuit. Coming down the order, Yadav scored 392 runs in 10 innings at an average of 56 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

He is a kind of batsman who can bat anywhere in the order. He can bat at No.5 or No.6 and finish the innings and he can open the innings successfully as well. In the 2018 IPL season, when he was asked to open the batting for Mumbai Indians. He aggregated over 500 runs.

He can play the anchor role and as is aggressive if required. He has a lot of experience playing in the domestic circuit. Suryakumar Yadav with all his batting skills should be on the radar of the selectors and could make a debut for India this year.