5 New Faces in the Indian Team for the Australian Tour

When India tours Australia this January, it will be a tough test for the men in blue considering their poor ODI and T20 form in the last one year. Struggling to find a perfect team composition, M.S. Dhoni will have to apply all permutations and combinations to find the best 11.And what makes this task difficult for him is the inclusion of 5 young and new faces, 4 of whom will be making their debut if given a chance. Consistent and impressive performances in the domestic circuit have helped them to get into the national squad and their dreams of representing their country soon could become a reality.

#5 Barinder Singh Sran

Born in a small village in Punjab, Barinder Singh Sran made his first-class debut in 2011 representing Punjab in the Ranji Trophy. His raw pace and consistency impressed everyone and he ended up taking 7 wickets in his debut match. He has had a great 2015-2016 Ranji season where he took 18 wickets in 7 matches. His performance has been impressive in Vijay Hazare Trophy as well where he took 14 wickets in 7 matches at an average of 27.42.

Sran has been praised by many senior Cricketers such as Yuvraj Singh and Rahul Dravid. With India in dire need of a death over specialist, Sran could prove useful in filling that spot.This perhaps is the most interesting selection to be made for the series down under. But his performance and character seems enough to justify his selection.

Sran has played for Punjab in the Ranji Trophy and he represents Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.

#4 Rishi Dhawan

Rishi Dhawan could be the premier all-rounder which India desperately needs at the moment. With team composition in a fray, Dhawan could prove useful in setting the line up properly. Possessing a comprehensive domestic record, Dhawan averages 40.84 in first class cricket and has also taken 220 wickets in the 51 matches that he has played. He has also had a brilliant season in the recently concluded Vijay Hazare trophy by scoring 302 runs in 7 matches at an average of 100.66

Dhawan, born in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, is the first Cricketer from his state to represent India. Like many others, Dhawan has been a big fan of Sachin and always been inspired to be a batsman like him. But, he ended up being an all-rounder. A decent performer with the bat, Dhawan is also natural swinger of the Cricket ball which helps him taking wickets at crucial times.

Dhawan could prove to be an asset to the team if he can fill that crucial seam bowling all-rounder’s spot, the dearth of which has been hurting India for a long time now.

Having played for Himachal Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy, Dhawan has also played for Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab in the IPL.

#3 Gurkeerat Singh Mann

When we hear of Gurkeerat Singh Mann, it reminds us of that flying boundary catch in an IPL match while playing for Kings XI Punjab which left everybody awestruck.

Mann, born in Punjab, is a right hand batsman and an off break bowler who represents Punjab in the domestic Cricket. Possessing a decent First Class record, Mann has a delightful List A record where he averages 42.97 with the bat. His excellent T-20 record at the domestic level reflects his ability to play smart and aggressive cricket.He has also had some splendid batting and bowling performances while playing for India A which provides him an edge over other players while getting selected into the national side.

A powerhouse on the field, Mann could be very efficient as a spin all-rounder and could be handy in Australian conditions.

Mann has been a regular performer for India A, Punjab and Kings XI Punjab in domestic cricket.

#2 Hardik Pandya

Born in Surat, Hardik Pandya is an all-rounder who plays for Baroda in domestic cricket. Having played only 13 First class matches and 10 List A matches, Pandya doesn't possess a great domestic record and lacks experience. However, his T-20 record does speak for his talent and calibre. He is known for his hard hitting batting style and could prove to be a match winner in extreme conditions.

Pandya became a sensation after he smashed 61 off 32 balls for Mumbai Indians in an IPL match and earned his first man of the match award. That night turned fortunes for him, A few more cameo performances in that season which saw Mumbai Indians winning the trophy made him get recognized by the BCCI following which he earned his maiden call up to the Indian T-20 side for the series down under.

Hardik Pandya has represented Baroda and Mumbai Indians in Indian domestic circuit.

#1 Manish Pandey

Manish Krishnanad Pandey, born in Uttarakhand, is a right hand batsman who represents Karnataka in all forms of domestic cricket. Known for his aggressive and hard hitting batting, Pandey is one of those devoted and passionate cricketers whose performance speaks for him. He has a staggering domestic record and has grown as a cricketer over the years to improve his game.

Pandey first came into limelight when he became the first Indian to score a century in the 2009 season of the IPL. Playing for Karnataka, he amassed 956 first class runs at an average of 59 in the 2009-2010 season and 958 runs in the 2010-2011 season of the Ranji Trophy. He has been a constant and regular performer in the domestic circuit by improvising his style across all formats of the game.

His impressive domestic record did earn him a few chances into the national side but he never got an opportunity to prove his worth, till the Zimbabwe series in 2015. This could be attributed to his inconsistency with the bat and tough competition from his teammates. With Raina and Rayadu rested, Pandey finally got the much-deserved opportunity and has a golden chance to cement his place in the Indian team.

Pandey has played for India A, Karnataka, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, South Zone, Pune Warriors and Royal Challengers Bangalore in domestic circuit.