The Indian Cricket team currently holds the #2 rank in ODIs, and has been faring rather well
recently. However, the current team is enormously different from the one the managed to lift
the world cup trophy back in 2011 led by MS Dhoni, with only Virat Kohli being the only
other member still remaining as part of the current setup. While there have been a number of debates on who would lead the team after Virat Kohli departs, and with the looming tensions between the ICC and the BCCI, the times are indeed interesting for the future of the Indian Cricket squad, and how it will fare in future matches.
Here are 5 players who definitely hold their own in deciding the future of the team.
1- Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer hails from Mumbai, and this young talent was initially trained by the great Pravin
Amre himself. Since his first-class debut during the 2014-15 season, he has managed to score
over 5700 runs, averaging 56.90. His excellent form for Delhi Daredevils in the 2015 season
of the IPL also led to him being adjudged the Emerging Player of the Tournament. While his ODI
debut against Sri Lanka was rather forgettable with only 9 runs, he followed it up with a best
ever score of 88, and ended the series as the highest run-getter.
2- Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill is a talent to be drafted into the team from the under-19 setup, for whom he
managed to score an impressive 372 runs at an average of 124.00 at the 2018 Under-19 World
Cup. He played a crucial role that led India to win its record fourth title, and he was adjudged
Player of the Tournament. He had earlier held the BCCI Best Junior Cricketer award for 2 years
consecutively (2013-15), and had starred in India’s handsome 3-1 home victory against England
in the Youth ODIs, knocking 351 runs in 4 innings. While his international debut wasn’t as
glamorous, his current form suggests that he could well be a top order batsman in the future.
3- Prithvi Shaw
Prithvi Shaw is a young prodigy who captained the victorious Indian squad at the Under-19
Cricket World Cup in 2018. He is a regular in the Mumbai setup, and has scored a century each
in both his Ranji as well as his Duleep Trophy debut. He has quickly risen up the ranks to
become an Indian International in red ball format. He also managed to score his maiden
century in his debut test match in October 2018, which he played against West Indies. He scored
a total of 237 runs in 2 matches, with an average of 118.5, and was awarded the Man of the
Series award.
4- Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant is player born in Uttarakhand and based in Delhi, and still in the making. At only
22 years of age, he is already expected to take the world by storm. He made his debut into First
Class and List-A cricket during the 2015-16 season and was also a member of the Indian squad
in the Under-19 World Cup in 2016, where they managed to secure a runner up medal after getting thumped by West Indies in the final.
He scored a record-breaking 50 against Nepal and a century against Namibia, amassing a total of 267 runs in 6 matches. He plays for Delhi in the domestic cricket circuit, and knocked a record 308 against
Maharashtra in the 2016-17 season Ranji Trophy, becoming one of the few Indians to score a
triple century. He has the record of the fastest century in Ranji Trophy (48 balls), and the
second fastest century in T20 cricket (32 balls). He also holds the highest score by an Indian in
the IPL, having scored a massive 128 in just 63 balls against a spirited bowling side from the
Sunrisers Hyderabad.
5- Deepak Chahar
Deepak Chahar is a young and talented fast bowler who hails from Rajasthan. He managed to
hold the nation in thrall with his superb bowling spells for the Chennai Super Kings during the
12th season of the IPL. He is a regular in Rajasthan’s domestic circuit and was once rejected by then Rajasthan Cricket Association Academy director Greg Chappell, who thought he didn’t have in him to play competitive cricket.
Two years later, he managed to prove him and everyone else wrong by picking 8 wickets on his first-class cricket debut, bowling out the team from Hyderabad for the lowest ever score of just 21 runs, during
the 2010-11 season of the Ranji Trophy. He has managed to amass an impressive 47 wickets in
just 31 games in List A cricket, and has also scored over 2000 runs at an amazing average of
68.88.
