– Atreyo Mukhopadhyay
The rise of new India! That was the biggest takeaway for the Men in Blue from the first T20 encounter against Sri Lanka. There were several situations in the match when they were down and things looked gloomy. But they wriggled out and eventually, clinched a thriller of a match.
Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shivam Mavi, Umran Malik, Axar Patel, there were so many who made match-defining contributions. That they were not regulars in the T20 set-up before this and one of them was a debutant is the most heartening aspect from the Indian point of view.
While batting especially and even when bowling at times, it seemed India was going to give in. There were wickets falling despite a brisk start and runs were conceded at an alarming rate when Sri Lanka was batting. But the wickets taken and a few crucial dot balls made the difference in the end. Mavi, Malik and Axar will have to be credited for this. They trusted their abilities, got the backing of captain Hardik Pandya and delivered when it mattered.
In the T20 format, India will have to take a new approach in order to become the best team in the world. Some big names will have to be discarded, without being disrespectful to what they have done in the past. You need fresh faces, dynamic characters and new energy. Some fearless characters. Yes, what the seniors have done is extremely creditable, but you cannot bank on them forever.
That is what the newcomers displayed at Wankhede Stadium. Kishan was robust in the beginning of the innings, was brilliant as a wicketkeeper as well. Hooda and Axar bailed the team out when all seemed lost. Some of the shots Hooda played made one wonder why was this guy not seen in Indian colours more frequently. He has been a quiet performer in the domestic circuit for a while and has shown sparks which should earn him a few more opportunities with the national team.
Mavi made headlines recently for bagging an unexpectedly big sum in the IPL auction. Playing his first match for senior India, he showed that he might be worth a bit of investment. The delivery he produced to clean bowl Pathum Nissanka was not ordinary. It requires good levels of skills to come up with something like that. Not very impressive when it comes to economy rate in the IPL, he showed improvement on that front as well.
What can we say of Malik? That pace, if bowled with accuracy, can be unplayable on any kind of pitch. He can be the X factor for India for some time if guided properly and if he stays grounded. He can force batters into awkward position with his pace. He has all the potential to become the lethal weapon all teams crave for. Go ahead with him, back him and see how he does.
This emergence of new faces is exciting. They have the talent and skills to take India ahead in this format. Time has come to start investing in them, giving them a few games even if they fail. For example, Sanju Samson did not do much with the bat in this game. Point is, you still have to give him a fair run. Go ahead India. Give these guys opportunities. The early signs are positive. Just a start alright, but a good one it has been.