Let's see how the all-rounder prospects stack up. The best option so far is Yusuf Pathan. He bats the way an all-rounder should- a proper mix of power play and stability. His technique is not the best at hand, but he's got a whole lot of shots in his armoury, and can run enough singles to make a difference. His bowling isn't his main strength, but when three seamers are needed somewhere, he's a good option. He's done well as a bowler playing for Baroda and West, but given little or no chance for India or the Royals, and in those highly limited opportunities, he hasn't done much. He's done all right on the field, though.
His brother, Irfan, is the most relevant option, though not the best. He's a match-winner when in form, but when out of form, he struggles, and you know it. Primarily a swing bowler, he can be effective in helpful conditions, but he'll struggle on flat pitches. It's a dicey issue, whether he can bowl slow for control or fast for power, but playing every game like it's his last has had an effect. He's an aggressive batsman with decent technique, but strokeplay is limited and he's not quite the choice for a big innings when needed- more like someone to add a knockout punch after an already impressive top-six score. He's a genuinely talented prospect and should get all the support he needs.
Praveen Kumar started off as an all-rounder for his state team, but once he started playing for India, his batting was given little or no chance, and got rusty. A little batting action for a prolonged period can fix that. He's the best bowler among all the prospects, and has more or less sealed his place in the ODI side. On flat decks, his freakish, aggressive batting will be useful, but he needs to get bat on ball first. We've seen Harbhajan pick up greatly on his batting. By far, the best option on form, but not one to have going solo- he'll need a lower-order partner.
Abhishek Nayar- on whom this thread is based- has the advantage of playing for a consistently winning team in the circuit, and is a regular for that team. He also has the advantage of superior batting statistics as well. He's a very steady, smart batsman, who doesn't rush too hard when batting- just ideal for the FC game. Moreover, he's got bowling figures that you'd wish your #6 to have. He doesn't have much pace in the ball, and will have to be used judiciously as the third seamer, following up on Zaheer and Ishant- he's more or less the Indian Scott Styris or Paul Collingwood. Very effective on the field. With Irfan struggling for form and Praveen not quite in the Test scheme of things (and still rusty with the bat), he may sneak in.
Rajat Bhatia is a little less useful, and wouldn't be in the reckoning except that he's another batsman who can bowl seam-up. He's very useful when the pitch doesn't offer much bounce, and can move the ball quite smartly. His weaknesses are that he's not too prolific a batsman, his bowling is a little less than medium-pace, he's underpowered, and he's not as good a fielder as those ahead of him. He still has impressive statistics to his name. Behind him in the race are Laxmiratan Shukla, who's similar to Bhatia and Nayar, but lacks consistency. Nayar's fairly ahead of these two.
Further back, there's Sachin Rana, whose form has fallen away lately, and the famous T20 final-over hero Joginder Sharma, whose batting hasn't been up to scratch for a bowler similar to them, again. A recent addition to the prospects is left-arm spinner (or was it middle-order batsman?) Ravindra Jadeja, but a lot of his success has come in the 08-09 season, and he's barely played two seasons, so those figures may be taken with a pinch of salt- in action, he has been found wanting.
