Arjun
Cricketer Of The Year
Looking at the performance of many Indian cricketers at different levels in T20, we find that the Indians are not playing well in T20. The IPL in South Africa was bad for the Indian players there, and then the unceremonious exit from the World T20 followed, and now they've struggled in the Champs League. Many of the batsmen struggle to launch the ball, and some of them tend to start grafting. The bowling options are not too bad, although none are as stingy as Mishra (and that helps his strike power a lot). Picking a T20-ready express pacer is a tough ask. Besides, many of India's best Test/ODI players are misfit in T20. On the contrary, the best T20 figures may belong to some unlikely folks. Some of them have barely played eleven matches.
Who do you consider as India's best T20 players? What do you find best? Looking at IPL/Champs squads, these appear the best choices.
Sehwag: Walks in for his batting alone. The stats speak for themselves, but his performance goes beyond that.
Gambhir: He forms the other half of India's best current Test/ODI (shadow) opening combination. He's gone off the boil, starting this IPL, but he's a class player in T20 and cannot be counted out.
Yuvraj: Six sixes off Stuart Broad. That's what made him famous. A very athletic, sharp fielder, but would do well to avoid bowling.
Rohit Sharma: Not quite the one to lead the batting, as the World T20 showed, as he's better off merely supporting the better batsman. He is, however, the only T20 centurion among the best T20 players in India. Very useful on the field, but unstable with the ball and that is best avoided.
Robin Uthappa: In good form in the Champs League, but not too long ago, was dreadful in the IPL. He's best fit for T20, but as some commentators suggested, he's often treated it as T5, given his tendency to throw his wicket away cheaply. Another livewire on the field.
Dhoni: Currently India's captain in all forms of the game, but not the best T20 player at hand. His average is healthy at 35, but the strike rate isn't too inspiring. His international T20 strike rate is more healthy, but he's no Hodge. Decent behind the wickets, though.
Yusuf Pathan: Not in good nick lately, and not one to get a century either, but one of the best for T20. He can strike a series of big blows, and is lethal against spinners, though his weakness against pace is well known. His bowling is very effective in T20, and can send down several cheap overs. Not the most agile on the field, but is a very good close-in catcher.
Irfan Pathan: He may have fallen off the Test and ODI radar, but in T20, he's too useful to keep out. He strikes at a decent 125 and can hang around for a while. His bowling isn't economical, but he gets a rush of wickets and has often won games by bowling a tight last over.
Amit Mishra: The best T20 bowler in India. Easily. Also very handy on the field and with the bat.
RP Singh: The second-best T20 bowler in India, though it remains to be seen how he performs for a less stable batting side. May be found out against proper Test standard batsmen. Decent on the field but hopeless with the bat- even Cloud 9 can't fix it.
Zaheer: Saves his best in T20 for international matches. Useful at the start and in the final overs. He's a much-improved fielder since the John Wright era.
Suresh Raina: Smart nudger and pusher, but not one to hit the big shot easily. That opened up a weakness against the short ball in England. Very useful on the field.
Harbhajan: Slightly-better-than-average T20 bowler, but strikes the ball hard at 135. A pity he keeps missing.
Praveen Kumar: A very smart swing bowler who uses changes of pace to good effect. He can keep it tight most times, but there is the odd match when the batsman get stuck into him. His batting is another factor, at a strike rate at 125. He sometimes has a goofy moment on the field.
Nehra: Had a good IPL and has been in good form since, though he has hardly played T20 cricket until now. May be suspect on the field, and of no use with the bat.
Dinesh Karthik: Largely a struggler in T20, he's had an upswing lately, and hit three sixes off the much-fancied Mendis in one match. Suspect behind the stumps, but is one of the faster wicketkeepers to choose, and better there than in the outfield.
Pragyan Ojha: Stingy left-arm spinner, but not useful otherwise.
Here come the unusual suspects
Akhil: This little-known seam-up bowler from Bangalore is a rahter under-rated T20 player. He's got a stingy economy rate of 6.75, but hasn't taken too many wickets. His batting strike rate, at 147, is remarkable. He hasn't had much to do on the field, but is a little better than average.
Saurabh Tiwary : Often irresponsible while batting in T20, he's one of the bigger hitters to choose. He strikes close to 160, with a decent average of 25, but is a rather inexperienced player, and is only 19, not quite an age to get in T20.
Manish Pandey: He scored a century (possibly only the second by an Indian) at age 19 in South Africa, so he's got it ahead of some more illustrious players. But then, he's only 19, and has some way to go.
Shadab Jakati: He had a few decent matches but eventually was phased out by the Super Kings. A bit disappointing, as his batting strike rate (135), batting and bowling averages (both a little over 17) and bowling strike rate over 15 make good stats. A better bet than the three left-arm spinners who have represented India in T20.
Rajat Bhatia: The definite surprise package. Labelled as a part-time seam-up bowler, he's repeatedly scalped several wickets cheaply, though he goes for a few in that odd match, which offsets his stats. His batting, strangely, hasn't clicked in T20.
Who do you consider as India's best T20 players? What do you find best? Looking at IPL/Champs squads, these appear the best choices.
Sehwag: Walks in for his batting alone. The stats speak for themselves, but his performance goes beyond that.
Gambhir: He forms the other half of India's best current Test/ODI (shadow) opening combination. He's gone off the boil, starting this IPL, but he's a class player in T20 and cannot be counted out.
Yuvraj: Six sixes off Stuart Broad. That's what made him famous. A very athletic, sharp fielder, but would do well to avoid bowling.
Rohit Sharma: Not quite the one to lead the batting, as the World T20 showed, as he's better off merely supporting the better batsman. He is, however, the only T20 centurion among the best T20 players in India. Very useful on the field, but unstable with the ball and that is best avoided.
Robin Uthappa: In good form in the Champs League, but not too long ago, was dreadful in the IPL. He's best fit for T20, but as some commentators suggested, he's often treated it as T5, given his tendency to throw his wicket away cheaply. Another livewire on the field.
Dhoni: Currently India's captain in all forms of the game, but not the best T20 player at hand. His average is healthy at 35, but the strike rate isn't too inspiring. His international T20 strike rate is more healthy, but he's no Hodge. Decent behind the wickets, though.
Yusuf Pathan: Not in good nick lately, and not one to get a century either, but one of the best for T20. He can strike a series of big blows, and is lethal against spinners, though his weakness against pace is well known. His bowling is very effective in T20, and can send down several cheap overs. Not the most agile on the field, but is a very good close-in catcher.
Irfan Pathan: He may have fallen off the Test and ODI radar, but in T20, he's too useful to keep out. He strikes at a decent 125 and can hang around for a while. His bowling isn't economical, but he gets a rush of wickets and has often won games by bowling a tight last over.
Amit Mishra: The best T20 bowler in India. Easily. Also very handy on the field and with the bat.
RP Singh: The second-best T20 bowler in India, though it remains to be seen how he performs for a less stable batting side. May be found out against proper Test standard batsmen. Decent on the field but hopeless with the bat- even Cloud 9 can't fix it.
Zaheer: Saves his best in T20 for international matches. Useful at the start and in the final overs. He's a much-improved fielder since the John Wright era.
Suresh Raina: Smart nudger and pusher, but not one to hit the big shot easily. That opened up a weakness against the short ball in England. Very useful on the field.
Harbhajan: Slightly-better-than-average T20 bowler, but strikes the ball hard at 135. A pity he keeps missing.
Praveen Kumar: A very smart swing bowler who uses changes of pace to good effect. He can keep it tight most times, but there is the odd match when the batsman get stuck into him. His batting is another factor, at a strike rate at 125. He sometimes has a goofy moment on the field.
Nehra: Had a good IPL and has been in good form since, though he has hardly played T20 cricket until now. May be suspect on the field, and of no use with the bat.
Dinesh Karthik: Largely a struggler in T20, he's had an upswing lately, and hit three sixes off the much-fancied Mendis in one match. Suspect behind the stumps, but is one of the faster wicketkeepers to choose, and better there than in the outfield.
Pragyan Ojha: Stingy left-arm spinner, but not useful otherwise.
Here come the unusual suspects
Akhil: This little-known seam-up bowler from Bangalore is a rahter under-rated T20 player. He's got a stingy economy rate of 6.75, but hasn't taken too many wickets. His batting strike rate, at 147, is remarkable. He hasn't had much to do on the field, but is a little better than average.
Saurabh Tiwary : Often irresponsible while batting in T20, he's one of the bigger hitters to choose. He strikes close to 160, with a decent average of 25, but is a rather inexperienced player, and is only 19, not quite an age to get in T20.
Manish Pandey: He scored a century (possibly only the second by an Indian) at age 19 in South Africa, so he's got it ahead of some more illustrious players. But then, he's only 19, and has some way to go.
Shadab Jakati: He had a few decent matches but eventually was phased out by the Super Kings. A bit disappointing, as his batting strike rate (135), batting and bowling averages (both a little over 17) and bowling strike rate over 15 make good stats. A better bet than the three left-arm spinners who have represented India in T20.
Rajat Bhatia: The definite surprise package. Labelled as a part-time seam-up bowler, he's repeatedly scalped several wickets cheaply, though he goes for a few in that odd match, which offsets his stats. His batting, strangely, hasn't clicked in T20.
