Lounge
The hunt is on to find India's new T20 stars
Summary
While Varun Chakravarthy is claiming the attention of selectors with his spin, debutants Mayank Yadav and Nitish Reddy are eyeing regular spots
There’s more to the current T20 matches against Bangladesh than a bilateral series. Coach Gautam Gambhir andskipper Suryakumar Yadav are on a quest to build the next world-beating Indian T20 team after winning the 2024 World Cup. Simultaneously, it showcases T20 talent to the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises before the retention and auction of players for IPL 2025.
Topmost on everyone’s mind was the Mayank Yadav typhoon. He made a sensational IPL debut this year, the fastest bowler of the season at over 155 kmph, and taking six wickets in his first two games. His scalps included England’s Jonny Bairstow and Aussie stars Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green, whom he hurried into false shots. But abdominal and side strains forced him to drop out after four games. Last Sunday, when he made his international debut for India against Bangladesh in Gwalior, he didn’t go flat out, clearly under instructions from his trainers to play within himself. But he still bowled consistently above 140 kmph, sometimes reaching nearly 150 kmph. He was accurate with disconcerting bounce, claiming the wicket of the experienced Mahmudullah in a debut spell of 1/21. He followed that up with 1/30 in the second game on Wednesday in Delhi.
Yadav bowled fast without appearing to exert himself, and will get up to full speed in due course. If he is fast-tracked into the Test series against New Zealand next week, it will raise the mouth-watering prospect of the 22-year-old bowling at over 150 kmph on the bouncy Perth wicket when the Indians start their Test campaign in Australia in November. The immediate effect of Yadav’s debut is that Lucknow SuperGiants will not be able to retain him for ₹4 crore, the purse for an uncapped player in the IPL. They will have to pay at least ₹11 crore or release him into the IPL 2025 auction pool.
Mystery spin
While Yadav showcased raw pace, Varun Chakravarthy put up his hand to selectors with mystery spin, which will be a valuable asset for India in the next T20 World Cup on home turf. Ravindra Jadeja’s retirement from T20 internationals has opened the door for a replacement spinner. Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, and Washington Sundar will be vying for this slot. Although Chakravarthy and Bishnoi are no swordsmen with the bat, as Jadeja is, that may not matter because of the availability of all-rounders Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya. Chakravarthy returned to the India side on Sunday after two outstanding IPL seasons, helping Kolkata Knight Riders lift the title this year. His earlier stint for India in 2021, including a World Cup appearance, was a fiasco. But the late bloomer, who is a more rounded bowler now, made an emphatic comeback last Sunday.
It began with a shocker as another debutant, Nitish Reddy, dropped a sitter at deep square leg. But Chakravarthy remained positive and finished with 3/31. He did equally well in the second game for 2/19 in four overs. His only blemish was a dropped caught-and-bowled chance.
Middle-order claimants
Among batsmen, the top order is in focus after the exit of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from T20 internationals. Abhishek Sharma, who lit up IPL 2024 with a strike rate above 200 in 16 matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), is an exciting prospect. But he got himself runout for 16 in the first game and played across the line to a 147-kmph shooter from Tanzim Hasan Sakib in the second game to be bowled for 15. He will get another chance to prove himself in Saturday’s game in his IPL home venue of Hyderabad.
His opening partner fared no better. Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson has often flattered to deceive in the nine years since his international debut. His batting average of 19 in 32 T20 games for India reflects the anomaly. The trend continued in the Bangladesh series. Samson scored 29 in 19 balls before holing out in the deep on Sunday, prematurely hoicking off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Then he got suckered into a false shot off a slower ball by Taskin Ahmed on Wednesday after scoring 10.
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Samson has talent but he has let himself down with shot selection too often. On the plus side, there was no lack of intent from both openers, which is a healthy attitude.
The failure of the openers opened the door for middle-order batsmen to prove their worth. Debutant all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy made an unbeaten 16 at a run a ball in a below par run chase in his first game. He started cautiously in the second too, after India stuttered to 41/3 in the sixth over. Then came a stroke of luck.
He got the gift of a free hit from off-spinner Mahmudullah which he dispatched for a six. The very next ball, an umpire’s call on LBW went in his favour when he missed a reverse sweep. The no-ball and umpire’s call appeared to free Reddy’s mind as he went into top gear from there, scoring 74 in 34 balls. “Everything went for me," he modestly conceded in a post-match interview.
Incumbents on fire
Meanwhile, the incumbents from India’s T20 World Cup champion team—skipper Suryakumar Yadav, all-rounder Hardik Pandya, and left-arm swing bowler Arshdeep Singh—showed their class.
Pandya’s unbeaten 39 in 16 balls followed by 32 in 19 balls reaffirmed his status as a late order hitter. An athletic running tumbling catch on the midwicket boundary in the second game proved he’s fully fit too. Skipper Yadav had a rambunctious 29 from 14 balls in his inimitable style on Sunday. He fell cheaply in the second game on Wednesday but his wards ensured that didn’t matter. His captaincy and bowling changes were as innovative and refreshing as his batting.
Arshdeep Singh picked up four wickets for 40 runs in the two games, continuing to swing the new ball and fox batsmen with variations. He has established himself in India’s T20 pace unit over the past two years, and will look forward to adding more strings to his bow under the new fast bowling coach from South Africa, Morne Morkel.
India’s T20 bench is overflowing with talent, thanks to the IPL. The last T20 game against Bangladesh on Saturday will be another opportunity for new stars to emerge. Googly exponent Ravi Bishnoi and KKR pacer Harshit Rana will be hoping for a chance. Most of all, openers Abhishek Sharma and Samson would not want to squander another opportunity.
Nevertheless, coach Gambhir will be quietly pleased with India’s T20 bench strength. Most of all, there was hardly any hint of a selfish attitude among the players. They played according to team requirements and appeared to revel in each other’s success, even though several of them are competing for positions in the playing 11.
Sumit Chakraberty is a writer based in Bengaluru.
