The run-fest that ensued during the first T20I between India and the West Indies during the recently-concluded series made one thing abundantly clear. Although the Caribbeans won the two-match series 1-0, courtesy some help by the weather in Florida, the contest was more between the power-hitters on either side of the table than about anything else.
As many as 489 runs were scored in the aforementioned game and only 10 of the 20 wickets fell. There were two centuries scored in a single T20I for the first time in the format’s history, and two young opening batsmen – KL Rahul and Ewin Lewis – made giant strides in international cricket.
However, as good as Rahul’s innings was during the 1st T20I, had the conditions not been as conducive to batting, and had Rahul not done what he did, especially after the early departures of Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli, the Indian captain, MS Dhoni, would have been left with a bulk of the scoring to do. And, that has happened in the recent past as well, most recently against Zimbabwe in Harare, wherein India lost by 2 runs.
While batting first as well, India, especially after the departures of Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh, have lacked a power hitter, who could bat at No. 6 or No. 7 and gather quick runs towards the death. Virat Kohli’s magnanimous efforts in the ICC World T20 2016 partly overshadowed this frailty that had existed for quite some time, but the deficiencies came to the fore once again in the semi-final against the West Indies, wherein enough sixes weren’t hit to keep the power-packed West Indies batting lineup at bay.
Although, in the domestic circuit, India have managed to nurture some youngsters who can go on to fill in the shoes of past finishers like Raina and Yuvraj. Here, we enlist five of them.
Sarfaraz Khan
That Sarfaraz Khan is only 18-years-old and has played two Under-19 World Cups and two IPL seasons for the Royal Challengers Bangalore speaks volumes about the youngster's abilities. The inventory of shots that the right-handed batsman has up his sleeve, which predominantly include the ones played by non-conventional methods, makes him a top contender for the finisher’s role in T20 cricket.
A T20 strike-rate of 168.70 and an IPL strike-rate of 173.52 does no harm to his reputation either. From 18 IPL games, the youngster has scored 177 runs at 29.50 and this record jumps up to 248 runs at 24.80 if one takes into consideration all T20s that he has played. Having risen to prominence through his innings of 439 in an inter-school tournament – that contained 56 fours and 12 sixes – Sarfaraz made 211 runs at an average of 70.33 in the 2014 U-19 World Cup held in the UAE, and followed it up with 355 runs in 6 matches in the next edition in 2016.
Hence, the hunger for runs is there, the ability to score big is also there, and the ability to keep wickets is an added bonus. Taking into consideration all these credentials, Sarfaraz qualifies as a prime contender for the position of a finisher or a power-hitter in the Indian T20 side.
Suryakumar Yadav
The 25-year-old Mumbai batsman, Suryakumar Yadav, burst onto the IPL scenes in 2014, with a breakthrough season for the now-suspended franchise, the Rajasthan Royals, scoring 164 runs from 16 games at 32.80 and a strike-rate of 140. He didn’t disappoint in the next three seasons either, as he scored runs with a strike-rate of at least 130, batting at No. 5, 6 or 7 for his teams.
Consequently, his career IPL strike-rate now stands at 134 and his career T20 strike-rate of 129 isn’t ordinary either. From 80 T20 games in total, Yadav has 1002 runs at 22.26 with two fifties to his name. The ability to clear the ropes at will, and at the same time, use the pace of the bowlers to find the ropes through the ground, makes him a capable T20 finisher.
The fact that he can bowl right-arm medium pace as well, gives the team an option to go to if one of the premier bowlers go for runs. That India have been searching for a potent all-rounder since ages in an open secret. Therefore, the Mumbaikar has every chance to make it to the national side once the selectors start looking out for the next generation of hitters.
Krunal Pandya
While the younger brother, Hardik, has already made a name for himself through his powerful hitting and the ICC World T20 2016 campaign, the older one of the Pandyas, Krunal Pandya, rose to prominence in the IPL season that followed immediately after. 237 runs from 12 matches in his debut IPL season at a stupendous strike-rate of 191 made it abundantly clear that there was no dearth of talent, as far as the Pandya brothers are concerned.
The left-handed batsman, who doubles up as a capable left-arm orthodox bowler, displayed immaculate skills, when it came to six-hitting abilities, as he hit as many as 13 sixes in 12 games. The consistency wasn’t compromised upon in the quest of scoring quick runs either, as his average of 39.50 over the season suggests.
With the younger Pandya already been given an opportunity – who didn’t quite impress with the bat, for which he was predominantly picked – the elder one might just get an opportunity the next time India looks out for potential finishers in their midst.
Nitish Rana
Nitish Rana played just 4 games in the IPL, but he made a good enough impression to be touted as a potential hitter in T20 cricket. 104 runs from those games at an average of 34.66 and a strike-rate of 134.66 made the Delhi-born batsman a good chance to lay a claim for a spot in the national side.
It is not just on the basis of 4 IPL games that we say this. Rather, in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2015-16, Rana played a couple of match-winning innings against Baroda (53), Jharkhand (60*) and against Andhra (97) and hit 21 sixes in the tournament – the most by any batsman. In total, the 22-year-old scored 299 runs in the series.
A first-class average of 50.63 from 7 games may speak of a nascent career at first, but it clearly indicates that the hunger to score runs and the ability to get them is there. The big-hitting prowess mixed with his first-class runs may make him a candidate for a complete batsman across formats for India. He may be required to grind it out for a couple of more seasons, though.
Manish Pandey
Manish Pandey can be hailed as India’s best bet at the moment, as far as limited-overs cricket is concerned. 141 T20 matches, out of which only 6 have been T20 internationals, speak of two things. One, that the 26-year-old Karnataka batsman has been good enough to last that long without being given a long rope in the internationals, and two, which a corollary arising out of the first, that he hasn’t been given opportunities.
2950 T20 runs at 25.90 with 1 hundred and 13 fifties abundantly elucidate his skills with the bat in the shortest format of the game, and 1819 IPL runs from 89 games add another feather to his cap. Having made IPL debut in 2008 – the inaugural season – Pandey has been a mainstay for several IPL teams, the most noticeable of which have been the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Kolkata Knight Riders.
A first-class average of 50.37 and over 5000 first class runs qualify him as a prolific run-scorer as well, and with a tinge of modernity added to his cricketing acumen, this right-handed batsman can really be a permanent member of the Indian limited-overs setup. It must not be forgotten that he has already won India an ODI in Australia wherein he had hit is maiden ODI hundred.
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