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The year 2021 is almost behind us. Indian cricket has seen many highs and lows over the last 12 months. India began on an impressive note and created history, becoming the first team to defeat Australia in a Test at the Gabba since West Indies in 1988.
The win in Brisbane saw them register their second consecutive Test series triumph Down Under. India were also 2-1 ahead in the Test series in England when the fifth and final Test was canceled due to COVID-19 cases in the Indian camp.
On the other hand, India yet again faltered in ICC events. They went down rather tamely in the World Test Championship (WTC) final to New Zealand. Then, in the T20 World Cup in the UAE, they looked lost and disinterested and failed to qualify for the semis.
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Youngsters India will be pinning their hopes on in 2022
Irrespective of the ups and downs, India found some good youngsters who made significant contributions during the course of 2021.
Mohammed Siraj claimed five wickets in the Gabba Test and hasn’t looked back since. Washington Sundar debuted in the same match and made significant contributions with both the bat and ball. Talented batter Shreyas Iyer also gleefully grabbed the opportunity that came his way during the recent home series against New Zealand. He became the first Indian batter to score a hundred and a fifty on Test debut.
2022 could see a few more young guns gain international fame on the cricketing circuit. We profile four such prospects.
#4 Shahrukh Khan
Living up to his name, Tamil Nadu batter Shahrukh Khan has delivered some blockbuster performances with the bat in domestic cricket of late. He turned the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final on its head with a sparkling cameo of 33* off just 15 balls. With 55 needed off the last four overs, Tamil Nadu seemed down and out.
Shahrukh, however, smacked three sixes, including one off the last ball to lift Tamil Nadu to an incredible victory. The 26-year-old carried his smashing form into the Vijay Hazare Trophy as well. He clobbered 66 off 35 against Mumbai, 79* off 39 versus Karnataka and 42 off 21 in the final against Himachal Pradesh.
The big-hitter has played the role of finisher to near-perfection for Tamil Nadu on a number of occasions. A batter who can find boundaries at will in the slog overs is an aspect India struggled with right through 2021 in the white-ball formats. 2022 would be a good time to draft Shahrukh into the team and give him a chance to prove his worth.
#3 Chetan Sakariya
Saurashtra left-arm pacer Chetan Sakariya played one ODI and two T20Is for India on the tour of Sri Lanka. However, he was part of a second-string squad chosen because the main team was on a tour of England. He did a decent job on his ODI debut, returning with figures of 2 for 34. But Sakariya proved expensive in the T20Is, finishing with an economy rate of 9.27.
2021 saw the 23-year-old make his IPL debut for Rajasthan Royals (RR). Although the franchise struggled, Sakariya was one of the few bright spots, claiming 14 wickets in as many games. He picked up 3 for 31 on debut against the Punjab Kings (PBKS).
Sakariya’s standout spell though came against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), a game in which he got the scalps of MS Dhoni, Ambati Rayudu and Suresh Raina. What stood out about Sakariya, especially during the first half of IPL 2021, was his control and variations. He also displayed positive body language even when being hit for boundaries.
Sakariya has continued his impressive run in domestic cricket as well. He claimed 3/25 against Chandigarh in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy encounter. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he registered figures of 1/12 from eight overs against Vidarbha in the third quarter-final and 5/62 versus Tamil Nadu in the second semi-final.
Considering the bio-bubble restrictions are here to stay, India are likely to give some rest to their key pacers during the course of 2022. Sakariya could come in as one of the replacement pace bowlers in the white-ball formats.
#2 Venkatesh Iyer
27-year-old Venkatesh Iyer could just be the all-rounder India are looking for in the white-ball formats. The hard-hitting batter led the Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) renaissance in the second half of IPL 2021 with some superlative hitting at the top of the order. He smashed 370 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 128.47 and also picked up three wickets with his medium pace. Had it not been for Iyer, KKR would not have reached the IPL 2021 final.
Iyer carried on his bold batting approach in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he was one of the star performers for Madhya Pradesh. He put up a fine all-round display against Kerala, scoring 112 and claiming three scalps. The attacking left-hander followed it up with scores of 71 & 2/58 (vs Uttarakhand) and 151 & 2/64 (vs Chandigarh).
The all-rounder was handed his India debut during the T20I series against New Zealand at home, but could not make much of an impression. Expect him to get more chances to represent India in 2022, especially with Hardik Pandya out of the reckoning for now.
#1 Ruturaj Gaikwad
What a splendid 2021 it was for Ruturaj Gaikwad. The 24-year-old had a slow start to IPL 2021 with some low scores. Some pundits even questioned his place in the Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) playing XI. But once he got into his groove, there was no stopping Gaikwad. He ended IPL 2021 with the Orange Cap, amassing 635 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of 136.26, playing a starring role in CSK’s fourth title triumph.
Apart from the four fifties, Gaikwad also registered his maiden IPL hundred during the course of the edition. Although his 101 off 60 against RR was a top-class knock, it came in a losing cause. Gaikwad also contributed a crucial 70 in the Qualifier 1 against Delhi Capitals (DC). The youngster and his opening partner Faf du Plessis (633 runs) were chiefly responsible for CSK’s stellar IPL season.
What was great about Gaikwad was that his hunger only grew after his IPL 2021 success. Representing Maharashtra, he cracked three consecutive fifties in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. That wasn’t all though. In the subsequent Vijay Hazare Trophy, he slammed four hundreds in five matches, with two of those scores being in excess of 150.
The beauty of Gaikwad’s batting is that he can score at a fast pace even while playing proper cricketing strokes, which is a rare gift in modern times. Gaikwad, who played two T20Is in Sri Lanka, deserves to be part of India’s white-ball set-up.
As former India captain aptly Dilip Vengsarkar mentioned about Gaikwad in a recent interview with the TOI:
“You must pick a man in form. How many more runs does he need to score to prove himself? It is high time the selectors pick him straight away and give him a proper opportunity. It's not like Ruturaj 18 or 19. He's 24 now. There's no point in picking him when he'll be 28.”
Fair point. The Indian selectors have no reason to disagree.
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