As India’s much lampooned, yet critical overseas tour of Zimbabwe drew to a close, we were all greeted to a subtle reality. As the Indian captain, MS Dhoni, revealed at the post-match presentation after his team’s series-clinching win in the 3rd T20I, the butt of all jokes (worthy or frivolous) that were being hurled at the relatively unknown series on the International Cricket Council’s calendar, the hosts, only needed more practice to be better at what they do, the testimony to which was their comparatively competitive performances in the T20I series after a humiliating drubbing in the ODIs.
Much like the Zimbabwean team, their Indian counterparts also need match practice, not to prove their credentials or climb up the cricketing ladders as such, but to cement their place in the full-strength squad, instead of being the second fiddles, asked to play every time India played a relatively weaker Test nation. Here, in this piece, we analyse the performances of different Indian cricketers who were a part of the squad that toured Zimbabwe and pick 5 of them who can feature in the full-strength team.
Note: Players who have already been in contention for the full-strength sides or who have already played a considerable number of games with the senior Indian cricketers have not been included in the list.
#5 Yuzvendra Chahal
After impressive performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as well as domestic cricket, Yuzvendra Chahal got his maiden India call-up when the squad for the Zimbabwe tour was announced. The skinny leg spinner who made his debut in the very first game of the series impressed one and all during the three-match ODI series, picking up 6 wickets from 3 games and an excellent economy rate of under 4 runs per over. It must be admitted, however, that these are only early days of Chahal’s career, but that should not take the sheen away from his performances, by the virtue of which he has laid a solid claim for the second spinner’s slot in the Indian team, currently being contested by Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel as well.
Chahal’s stock delivery, the leg break, as well his googly have been well controlled and have been able to disguise the batsmen on a consistent basis. In addition to his wicket taking abilities, his partnership with Axar Patel – with the ball – during the middle overs also proved out to be extremely restrictive as far as the scoring rate was concerned. Hence, on relatively friendlier surfaces of the subcontinent, Chahal can prove out to be a vital cog in the Indian side. The RCB bowler also picked up 3 wickets from the 3 T20I that India played post the 3-0 whitewash of the hosts in the 50-over competition.
#4 Barinder Sran
The tall and muscular boxer-turned-cricketer from Punjab who created buzz waves before his limited-overs debut against Australia in January this year, Barinder Sran, soon fizzled out from the scenes as the international T20 season engulfed the cricketing world. But come the IPL, the left-arm seamer was ready to fire his arsenal once again, and so he did playing for the eventual champions, the Sunrisers Hyderabad, wherein he was a part of their pace quartet comprising the likes of Ashish Nehra, Mustafizur Rahman, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar and played a vital role in their ultimate success.
Consequently, Sran was selected again for the next set of ODIs that India played, and the 23-year-old proved out to be an absolute asset, be it with the new ball or the old ball. In each of the three ODIs, the pacer provided India with early breakthroughs, which were the results of the swing available on occasions as well as the purchase that he got off the surface. Towards the death as well, Sran's execution of yorkers proved out to be detrimental, as was visible during the last over of the 3rd T20I, which India clinched by 3 runs. Sran picked up 6 wickets in 2 T20I that he played and 4 wickets from the 3 ODIs this tour.
#3 Mandeep Singh
Another cricketer from Punjab, this time, a top-order batsman, Mandeep Singh, finally got his India call-up based on impressive exploits in the domestic limited-overs competitions. Although he did not get a game during the three-match ODI series, he partly made up for it during the T20 internationals that followed, accumulating 87 runs from three games, including his maiden half-century during the second T20I, which India won by 10 wickets.
The 24-year-old is expected to play in the middle order, however, if given a chance, be it in the 50-over games or the T20s, as the Indian top-order is heavily crowded at the moment with more and more cricketers pushing for a spot in the top three. In any case, if the batsman gets to play anywhere in the batting order, he would love to grab the opportunity with both hands and provide a solid option for India’s middle-order spots – No. 4, 5, and 6 – that have been subject to multiple changes since Suresh Raina’s ouster from the ODI team.
#2 KL Rahul
Perhaps the best of all debutants to have featured at various stages of the recently-concluded tour has been the Karnataka run-machine, KL Rahul. Rahul announced his arrival in international limited-overs cricket through a record-breaking century on debut, thereby becoming the first Indian batsman to achieve such a feat. He eclipsed the previous record held by Robin Uthappa, who had scored 86 on his ODI debut back in 2006. The 24-year-old followed up his maiden knock of 100* with two gritty innings of 33 and 63* and played a crucial role in India’s 3-0 whitewash of Zimbabwe. In the T20I series as well, barring the first game wherein he got out for a golden duck, Rahul scored 47* and 22, thereby helping India achieve a solid opening stand.
The right-hander’s reincarnation came about in the Indian Premier League (IPL), wherein playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as a wicket-keeper batsman, Rahul emerged out of the shadows of his classical Test-match-like batting, and showed to us a completely different side of himself, playing free-flowing attacking strokes at a brisk strike-rate. Having finished with 397 runs from 14 games in the IPL this season, the opening batsman carried his form beautifully into the international arena and laid a solid claim for a spot in the already crowded top order of the Indian Cricket Team.
#1 Ambati Rayudu
It is not the first time that Ambati Rayudu has featured in such a list. Rather, he has always been there. An average of 50.23 from 34 ODI matches and over 1000 international runs have not been enough to cement his place permanently in the Indian team. The Hyderabad cricketer has been on the fringes of the side as well as on the bench since he made his international debut against Zimbabwe three years back, in 2013. In this series as well, the cricketer did not harm to his reputation, as he started his series with two gritty knocks of 62* and 41* to help India register comfortable victories and seal the series within two games.
The 30-year-old is also a good ground fielder, as was evident through the catches that he took during the ODIs as well as the T20I and can also fill in as a backup wicketkeeper if the need arises. Rayudu’s strength, however, lies with the bat and he can bring a calming influence to the jittery Indian middle order through his disciplined, patient batting, and can also raise the bar through his powerful hitting as was evident in the IPL, wherein he played many a memorable knock for the Mumbai Indians.
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