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Five players who might make a debut for India after IPL 2020

IPL 2020: The IPL action has reached its zenith as we have witnessed different players from different countries whether experienced or young! Youngsters have indeed ruled the roost this season and continue to be every franchise’s torchbearers. When the experienced campaigners have stuttered, they are the ones to raise their hands and have taken their side home owing to their heroics.

IPL has surely lived upto its tagline, ‘Where talent meets opportunity’ and continues to provide us with new motivation and self-belief. Some of these youngsters have an excellent opportunity of breakingthe international door and earning valuable success in the Indian dark blue! Here we look at five players who can earn a national call-up due to their recent exploits in the IPL:

#5 Rahul Tewatia

This Haryana all-rounder is the highlight of this season and features in every XI of an IPL 2020 dream team. He has scored 222 runs from 10 matches at an astounding strike rate of 145.1 which includes his heroics against KXIP and SRH where he scored 53 and 45 runs respectively to pull off a heist.

He has been more than effective with his leg-spin with 7 wickets to his name from 10 games. These stats are illustrative of his ominous form this season and can very well earn himself a call-up at least in the T20 side. He is a useful fielder as well have pulled off a stunner at the mid-wicket boundary to dismiss Kohli. His never say die attitude might have caught the eye of the selectors and captain Kohli who would like to get a taste of him at the international circuit.

#4 Kartik Tyagi

The Uttar Pradesh born, 2020 U 19 star, Tyagi has made a name for himself as a yorker sensation who could keep batsmen quiet with his raw pace and deadly yorkers. With 6 wickets from 6 matches, he has become Royals ‘Mr. Dependable’ at the death and forms a potent bowling pair with Englishman Jofra Archer. He has been difficult to hit and batsman often get in a tangle playing his short stuff, losing their wickets.

He is definitely in the list to make it to the senior side who can complement the likes of Bumrah, Saini and Shami in India blue. He can bowl at various stages of a game which will be an aspect that distinguishes him from the others. Will be a fascinating prospect if he features at the 2023 WC at home and carries India’s hopes just as Zaheer Khan did it during the 2011 WC!

#3 Devdutt Padikkal

Karnataka’s poster boy, Padikkal has earned a lot of praises this season for the maturity and consistency that he has showed at the top of the order. Having galloped 296 runs from 9 matches, he is considered as the next big thing in the Indian cricket. Experts have already compared him with India’s biggest match-winner, Yuvraj Singh for the swagger and class that he possesses. His exploits as an opener has taken the pressure off Kohli and de Villiers who can now just come and have a free swing of their illustrious willows.

Courtesy his run-flow, RCB find themselves at the 3rd spot with same no. of wins as the defending champs MI. He has come up as an effective option for an opener in the Indian side and if needed can also bat lower down the order at no.5. His brilliance so far has assured the well-wishers that India is in good hands going forward.

#2 Priyam Garg

India’s U 19 captain at this year’s WC, Garg has shown flashes of brilliance during his stint at the Sunrisers. By scoring a match-winning fifty against CSK when all the chips were down for his side, he established his grit and determination to perform at the highest level. He is a player who likes to keep the scoreboard moving either by rotating the strike or hitting an odd boundary to reflect the pressure on the opposition. He has managed to gather 106 runs from 9 matches batting lower down the order and that is a thing to appreciate given his tender age.

He has plenty of cricket and opportunities waiting ahead of him and the teenager will keep on getting better with every passing year. He is someone who can be a successor to Kohli as both take a lot of pride in the game that they play and love the aggressive brand of cricket. He is another candidate for the no.5 position if someone has to miss out due to an injury. He can certainly join forces with Hardik Pandya or Pant lower down the order and manifest a stellar show of fireworks, tearing apart the opposition!

#1 Ravi Bishnoi

As commentators have often described, “Bishnoi has got a big heart”! The wrist-spinner from Rajasthan has turned heads with his belligerent approach to picking wickets and has been very successful inspite of his side’s awful show. The U 19 star has already procured 9 wickets from 9 matches that he has played and is truly a ray of light in the dark tunnel for KXIP! Coach Anil Kumble has taken him under his wings and that has gone a long way in making of a bowler we are witnessing now. With Punjab breathing life owing to 2 wins in a row, his role has become even more vital and the wicket-taking spree in the powerplay or in the middle overs will do a world of good to the team’s confidence.

His breakthroughs with the ball will take the pressure off pacers like Jordan and Shami and facilitate the prospect of hunting in a pack. A national side call-up awaits him if someone like a Chahal cannot make it to the XI due to injury or other factors. He will shoulder similar responsibility as Chahal and skipper Kohli can look up to him as an aggressive wicket-taking option. That is definitely for the future and at the moment franchise’s success should be high on the priority list for the youngster who is leaving no stone unturned!

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