5 Young Indian Players Who Might Be Inducted In The Senior Team In The Rahul Dravid Era

Rahul Dravid has started his second innings as the head coach of the Indian Cricket Team. The recently concluded first T20 international between India and New Zealand on Wednesday marked the start of Rahul Dravid Era in the Indian Cricket. Under the tutelage of a new Indian head coach, Indian Cricket will begin a rebuilding phase.

Rohit Sharma has been appointed as the new captain of the Indian Cricket Team in T20 cricket. Virat Kohli will continue to lead the team in the other two formats. Indian Cricket began the Rahul Dravid-Era with a 5-wicket win against New Zealand in the first of the three-match T20 series on Wednesday.

Young all-rounder, Venkatesh Iyer made his international debut in that game. He scored a boundary on the very first ball he faced before getting out on the next delivery. In the next two years till the 2023 World Cup, several other Indian youngsters are likely to make their debut for the Indian Cricket Team. Here’s a look at five potential candidates for the same.

5 Young Indian Players Who Might Be Inducted In The Senior Team In The Rahul Dravid Era

1. Devdutt Padikkal

Consistent performances in IPL and in other domestic cricket tournaments for the last couple of years helped Devdutt Padikkal play for the Indian Cricket Team on the tour to Sri Lanka earlier this year. He played two T20 internationals, scoring 38 runs at an average of 19. However, that was for a second-string team as the senior team had gone to England at that time.

Devdutt Padikkal has been piling on runs consistently for quite a while and it isn’t going to take long when he will be inducted in the senior team. Padikkal was the highest run-getter for RCB in the 2020 edition of the tournament. He then scored the second most number of runs only behind Prithvi Shaw in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He scored 737 runs in 7 matches during the tournament. In IPL 2021, Padikkal scored 411 runs in 14 matches at an average of 31.61 and a strike rate of 125.30.

2. Ruturaj Gaikwad

Several cricket experts praised Ruturaj Gaikwad following his outstanding performance in IPL 2021. The CSK opener played all the matches in the tournament and finished as the highest run-scorer in the tournament. In 16 matches, he scored 635 runs at an average of 45.36 and a strike rate of 136.27. It was a treat to watch him bat during the tournament.

With the kind of temperament he showed, Gaikwad is likely to be inducted in India’s senior team. A lot of former Indian players has said that he is someone who could play all three formats and serve Indian Cricket for many years. Gaikwad also played two T20 internationals, while representing the second-string Indian team against Sri Lanka. In two matches, he managed to score 35 runs at an average of 17.5.

3. Arshdeep Singh

There is no denying the fact that there is a dearth of left-arm seamers in Indian Cricket. Over the years, they have tried players such as Khaleel Ahmed, Jaydev Unadkat and Barinder Sran to name a few. However, none of them lived up to the expectations.

Punjab’s young seamer, Arshdeep Singh has shown in recent years that he can represent the Indian senior team in the future. Arshdeep Singh has exhibited outstanding performances for Punjab Kings in the last couple of years in IPL. In IPL 2021, he was brilliant in the power play and also bowled with great composure in the death overs. In 12 matches, he managed to pick 18 wickets at an average of 19.00 and a strike rate of 15.23.

Another great season in IPL could help him earn his maiden international call-up for Indian Cricket Team.

4. Ravi Bishnoi

Rajasthan’s leg-spinner, Ravi Bishnoi is one of the rising stars in Indian Cricket. He came to prominence after picking the most number of wickets in the 2020 Under-19 World Cup. He picked 17 wickets for India in just 6 matches at an average of 10.65.

Bishnoi has been playing for Punjab Kings in IPL for the last couple of years. Punjab wouldn’t be too happy for not adding him in the playing XI in all the games during the 2021 edition. In 9 matches, he picked 12 wickets at an average of 18.50.

Ravi Bishnoi is quickly rising through the ranks and it shouldn’t come as a surprise if he gets to make his debut for the Indian Cricket Team in the next couple of years.

5. Umran Malik

Playing his first match for SRH in IPL, the 21-year old Umran Malik bowled the fastest delivery of the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League. It was also the fastest delivery ever bowled by an Indian in IPL. The 21-year old fast bowler impressed one and all with his raw pace. He played only 3 matches in IPL 2021 but is expected to play a lot more in the coming years.

There is no denying that India need bowlers who could bowl at 140-150 clicks and Umran Malik could be a great future prospect for the same. It will be interesting to see how he plays in the next couple of years.