MS Dhoni’s young Indian limited-overs side take on Zimbabwe in a three match ODI series starting 11th of June.
With most of the regulars being granted rest for the short tour, MSD has a lot of new faces in his dressing room. Here’s a few you need to know about, before the series starts!
1. Faiz Fazal
Faiz Fazal is a left-hand batsman who has been around the domestic cricket scene since 2003. The 30-year old plies his trade for Vidarbha in Indian domestic cricket and recently graduated to be named captain of the state side.
The Zimbabwe tour will be the opening batsman’s first stint with the Indian team, and his selection comes on the back of impressive showings in domestic cricket. He has been Vidarbha’s highest run-getter in three of the last four Ranji Trophy seasons, and was the team’s highest run-getter in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in the last three seasons.
More recently, he played two match-winning innings which thrust him into the spotlight; he scored a 100 in the Final of the Deodhar Trophy, and then scored 127 in Rest of India’s successful chase of 480 against Mumbai.
2. Karun Nair
24-year old Karun Nair is among the handful of youngsters who have been bossing domestic cricket over the last few years. The Karnataka batsman has been around the First-Class circuit for three seasons, but he has taken gigantic leaps towards his ambitions of representing India.
In his maiden Ranji Trophy season, he scored hundreds in three consecutive matches (including in the Quarter-Final and Semi-Final of the Ranji Trophy), and in the following season he scored a majestic 328 in the summit clash of the Ranji Trophy.
Such has been the appreciation of his talent and his rapid rise to the top, that he was named backup for one of the injured players on the Indian team’s Test tour of Sri Lanka in 2015. A top order batsman, Karun has impressed with his technique and temperament in all formats. Even though his numbers in the limited overs formats in the most recent domestic cricket season aren’t flattering, he has earned his maiden call-up to India’s ODI team for the tour of Zimbabwe on the basis of the promise of what he is capable of accomplishing.
3. Jayant Yadav
Jayant Yadav is an off-spinner who plies his trade for Haryana in the Indian domestic cricket. The 26-year old is one of the few bowlers with a clean action, and much to the delight of the purists, one who still prefers tossing the ball up.
Jayant is also a handy lower-order batsman; his maiden First-Class century was a double hundred against a formidable Karnataka side. Most recently, he scored a second hundred in First-Class cricket – that too against Karnataka. He also picked up eight wickets in Rest of India’s Irani Cup win over Mumbai.
The Delhi-born lad was impressive in the few opportunities he got in the recently-concluded Indian Premier League too; though he did not pick up too many wickets, he did a very good job containing the opposition.
4. Mandeep Singh
24-year old Mandeep Singh has come through the ranks having done the hard yards over the years. He impressed during his stint with the India Under-19 team, averaging in excess of 56 in 12 U19 ODIs. In recent years, he has emerged to be one of Punjab’s batting mainstays in Indian domestic cricket.
Extremely talented, and a player with an infectious energy, Mandeep has had stints with India A teams in the past. The tour of Zimbabwe will be the middle order batsman’s maiden stint with the senior Indian cricket team.
5. Yuzvendra Chahal
A Junior National Chess Champion in his growing up days, Yuzvendra Chahal has since taken a liking for cricket, and leg-spin bowling in particular. The 25-year old, who is a bundle of energy on the field, plays for Haryana in Indian domestic cricket.
After years and years of playing under the shadow of the experienced Amit Mishra, Chahal is finally coming into his own now. Though he has not bowled as many overs as one would like a leg-spinner to have bowled before graduating to the international level, Chahal has certainly impressed by showcasing his skills in the limited opportunities he has got. He was the third-highest wicket-taker in the Indian Premier League 2015, and the second-highest wicket-taker in this season’s IPL.
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