4 Youngsters Who Can Get Be Included In The Squad For The Australia Series

The upcoming five-match One-Day International series will provide Team India with another opportunity to try out some different set of players. During the recently-concluded series against Sri Lanka, India experimented extensively and the team management has made it clear that the experimentation would continue in the coming months in order to get a settled unit for the next World Cup.

Now considering the players who were tried out against Sri Lanka, it is quite clear that the team is now looking to give the youngsters an extended run so that they can settle down well before the 2019 World Cup. So here we are looking at 5 players who can make it to the squad for the Australia series:

4. Washington Sundar:

Considering the fact that Ravichandran Ashwin has not looked at his devastating best in the limited-overs format, Washington Sundar can be tried out by the team. The Tamil Nadu star first shot to limelight after playing an integral part in Tamil Nadu’s victorious campaign in the Vijay Hazare and Deodhar Trophy last year. He played a total of nine games in both the tournaments and ended with an outstanding economy rate of 3.93. Before that he had impressed during the inaugural season of Tamil Nadu Premier League, taking 11 wickets in nine games at an average of 12 and an economy rate of only 5.54.

He also made a big mark in this year’s IPL,  taking eight wickets including the outstanding spell of three for 16 in the first qualifier against Mumbai Indians.

3. Jaydev Unadkat:

With the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar forming a potent attack, India’s pace battery looks stronger than ever. However, a left-arm pacer can add more dimension to the attack and Jaydev Unadkat looks like the best option.

After some inconsistent performances and a injury-plagued couple of years, he made a brilliant comeback in the 2015-16 Ranji Trophy season, taking as many as 40 wickets that included four five-wicket hauls. And he once again impressed during this year’s IPL, playing an integral role in Rising Pune Supergiant’s march to the final. The left-arm quick picked up a staggering 24 wickets from just 12 games at 13.41 including a five-wicket haul and was behind only Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the list of this year’s highest wicket-taker.

2. Siddharth Kaul:

Kaul has been one of the most consistent performers in the domestic season in the last one year or so. The Punjab pacer, who was a part of India Under-19’s victorious World Cup team of 2008, was India A’s second highest wicket-taker with 8 scalps in the recently-concluded tri-series in South Africa.

He was picked up in the India A squad after his impressive outing in the Indian Premier League. Plying his trade for Sunrisers Hyderabad, the right-arm pacer took an impressive 16 wickets in 10 matches and played an integral role in the side’s march to the playoffs. Prior to the IPL, he had enjoyed a fruitful outing in the domestic circuit as he finished the season as Punjab’s leading wicket-taker in Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy. He picked up 35 wickets in eight matches during the Ranji Trophy and 12 in the five Vijay Hazare Trophy games.

1. Rishabh Pant:

With just a couple of years left for the next World Cup and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, barring the recent performances against an inexperienced Sri Lankan side, not looking at his best, Team India can give Pant an extended run.

The 19-year old, who made his international debut earlier this year in the T20I against England, got just one more T20I against West Indies in July before being dropped for the Sri Lanka series. His performances for India and India A have not been impressive so far but his performance in the last edition of Ranji Trophy is enough to show that he has the ability to make it big and deserves the backing from the selectors.

The hard-hitting batsman finished Ranji Trophy with a staggering 972 runs in only eight outings including four centuries and a couple of the fifties. He followed the successful domestic season with a good outing in the IPL for Delhi Daredevils.