With India inducting some fresh faces for the series against New Zealand, the faces of several talented players, who could not make it count due to lack of opportunities, loomed largely. So, one can only hope that selectors and Team India think tank show more patience with Venkatesh Iyer, Avesh Khan etc. As the Indian cricket team opens a new chapter, it would only be appropriate to take up the cause of a few talented youngsters and experienced campaigners who should be given another shot at glory.
Sanju Samson
The young Kerala wicketkeeper-batsman has been constantly knocking on the doors of Team India selectors for a while. However, he has yet again been denied a place in the Indian squad for the home series against New Zealand. Samson had been given sporadic opportunities in the past, including the recent Sri Lanka series, but it would not be incorrect to state that the IPL sensation should get an extended run with Team India to gauge what all he brings to the table. With Rishabh Pant almost sealing the spot of India’s first-choice wicketkeeper, Samson can be an ideal reserve candidate, especially behind and in front of the stumps during a long overseas tour or a coveted ICC event.
Kuldeep Yadav
The reticent Uttar Pradesh Chinaman bowler was unceremoniously dumped after the home series against England earlier this year. Looking at the scarce opportunities the left-arm orthodox bowler got it would not be wrong to say that he can be an ideal wicket-taker for India in any format and particularly in the middle overs. The dismissal of a well-set Babar Azam in the 2019 ODI World Cup was ample proof that he is not a fair-weather bowler. However, he continues to be on the sidelines more often than not. As a wrist spinner, Yadav can be very handy when the due factor is rampant, as was the case in the T-20 World Cup in the UAE. So, he truly deserves another opportunity to prove his mettle.
Karun Nair
The only person other than Virender Sehwag to score a triple century for India, Karun Nair is a classic example of a promising youngster getting the wrong end of the stick from the Team India management. After scoring the unbeaten 303 against England in 2016, he became one of the rare batsmen to get dropped in the next match. The reason given for the sack was: to accommodate a senior player in the team, whose position in the team also looks vulnerable right now. Nair was lastly picked for the away series in England in 2018, where he was made to warm the benches for the entire series and mercilessly eliminated from the squad after its conclusion. This 29-year-old Karnataka lad is worthy of justice in the form of another chance.
Shikhar Dhawan
The veteran Delhi batsman was left out of the Indian squad for the World Cup in the UAE despite having excellent returns as a batter in the IPL. Being a left-hander he provides a variety in the Indian batting lineup packed with right-handers and can make the lives of bowlers tough by forcing them to change the line and length quite often. Also, the southpaw’s tendency to shuffle across the crease while facing the bowlers can easily hamper their rhythm and put immense pressure on them in the shortest format. At present, his inclusion looks tough but he definitely needs another opportunity to at least bow out with grace.
Ravichandran Ashwin
The veteran off-spinner had been a regular fixture in the team till some years back but for the last few years he has been out of favour even in Test matches, the only format he features regularly right now. Ashwin has been getting a raw deal from Team India management as he was reduced to a tourist in the recent series against England and was also left out of two critical matches in the latest T-20 World Cup. Despite being an outcast in the shortest format, he recently gave a good account of himself in the games against Afghanistan and Namibia. Considering the experience and variety in his bowling Ashwin should always be in the scheme of things of the Indian team, irrespective of the format.
