Cevno
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good article-
India’s Cricketing Youth
A lot has been said about India’s future in the game of cricket. Solid batsman, crafty spinners, and an endless pool of fast bowlers make up the next generation of Indian Cricket. With the end of the many stars of the Indian team in sight, who are the talented young cricketers to manage the ship from where they left off? Who are the batsmen to fill the Fabulous Four’s gigantic shoes? Who will replace Marathon Man Anil Kumble?
The Batsman
India’s batting prospects are very bright. The domestic scene is filled with wristy, graceful, and talented young batsman. These batsmen have been extremely unlucky to not break into the side earlier, without any breathing space whatsoever in the national middle order. But, with the end of several glorious careers in sight, these cricketers will finally have the opportunity to pad up for their country.
Manoj Tiwary is one of those batsmen. In just two years of domestic cricket, Tiwary has taken the country by storm with his outstandingly consistent performances. In just 24 matches, Tiwary has struck six hundreds at a brilliant average of 54. His mannerisms and approach to batting are modeled apon that of Kevin Pietersen, and he plays the “flamingo shot” just as well as his icon.
Statistics:
Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave
24 35 3 1738 210* 54.31
Subramaniam Badrinath is a run-hungry young batsman and the captain of the Tamil Nadu cricket team. He is the mainstay of the state’s batting line up, solidified at number three. He has an outstanding First Class batting average of 58, and has 15 tons racked up to his name. He is also an absolutely brilliant fielder at point, or anywhere else in the circle. His sharp cricketing brain also makes him a very good captain. He can bowl, as well. His crafty off spinners put the icing on the top of this very all round cricketer.
Statistics:
Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave
61 89 12 4474 206* 58.10
Cheteshwar Pujara is a man with a hunger for runs. At the tender age of 19, Pujara has taken attacks apart in his first two seasons of playing for Saurashta. In just 25 matches, Pujara has 7 hundreds to his name at an average of 52. His game plan is simple – he plays within his limitations. He is confident at the crease, and plays well on both sides of the wicket.
Statistics:
Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave
25 39 6 1721 177 52.15
Suresh Raina is an aggressive young batsman who has already represented India on the international scene. After being dropped from the side, Raina has played some exquisite knocks to come back into contention to play for the Indian Cricket Team. Raina is a quick, intelligent batsman that can pick the singles and hit the boundaries, both with ease and grace. Raina was also listed, surprisingly, in Wisden’s 10 Players to make an impact on world cricket in the future. His fielding is tremendous. He is lightning quick at point, and has a very good arm. He throws his body around to squeeze out every run on the field, something that is lacking in the current team.
Statistics:
Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave
37 64 3 2813 203 46.11
The Bowlers
Bowling, fast bowling specifically, has always been a worry for the Indian Cricket team. The fast bowlers come and go - a string of good performances build up the hype and expectations before an injury or blip in form fades them into the background. But, the bowlers that have been toiling their hearts out in the domestic scene seem to be different. They run in hard, get pace and movement off dead wickets. The bowling department certainly looks like a promising one for the future.
Praveen Kumar is a man with a McGrath-esque approach to his bowling. He doesn’t care for pace, he concentrates on line and length, and movement off the seam. In just 24 first class games, Kumar has grabbed 118 wickets at 21 a piece on batting friendly wickets across India. His form in the recent Challenger Series was impeccable, including two four-wicket hauls against strong batting line ups. His batting isn’t bad, either. He is a care-free slogger down the order, averaging at a handy 25.
Statistics:
Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave
24 45 5348 2593 118 6/65 10/160 21.97
Pankaj Singh is a tall, well built quickie from Rajastan. In 24 matches, Pankaj has claimed 73 wickets at 26 runs a piece. In 2006, he showed that he had matured by propelling his team to the Ranji finals with 21 wickets at an average of 20. His natural bounce troubles the best of batsman, and his yorkers claim many of his wickets. His success in the Ranji Trophy has earned him a spot in the ongoing India-Australia series, but he has yet to get a game.
Statistics:
Mat Balls Runs Wkts BBI Ave
24 4045 1960 73 6/65 26.84
Piyush Chawla is a crafty legspinner from Uttar Pradesh. His variations, flight, and rip off the wicket really make him a formidable bowler to face. He is already a veteran of 13 One Day Internationals, and has done reasonably well in them (Average: 31). But he has the potential to be much better then he is at the moment. His googly to bowl Sachin Tendulkar in the Challenger Series in 2006 reminded us of a young Shane Warne. He is an allrounder in the making, as well. With the bat he averages a solid 27, coming in at six for his state team.
Statistics:
Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave
31 60 6676 3277 137 6/46 10/58 23.91
These are just a few of the many promising young men who are ready to represent their national side in the international arena. The future of Indian Cricket is a bright one, and I hope these young stars can fulfill the heavy expectations that have been placed on them. But knowing the character and spirit of these talented cricketers, they will succeed.
Sample Futuristic Indian XI
Virender Sehwag / Wasim Jaffer
Dinesh Karthik / Sehwag / Jaffer
Subramanium Badrinath
Manoj Tiwary
Yuvraj Singh
Cheteshwar Puraja
MS Dhoni
Irfan Pathan
Piyush Chawla
Praveen Kumar
Pankaj Singh
12th Man: Suresh Raina
Other capable youngsters: Ishanth Sharma, VRV Singh, RP Singh, Yusuf Pathan
