Suryakumar Yadav (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
India will clash with Bangladesh in a three-match T20I series which gets underway at Gwalior from Sunday, the 6th of October. India are the T20 World Cup champions, having lifted the crown in Bridgetown in June of this year, when they snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against South Africa in a dramatic final. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja have since retired from the format and India have a new captain in T20I cricket – Suryakumar Yadav.
The T20I series against Bangladesh will give an opportunity to the talented younger crop of Indian players to showcase their mettle on the world stage. And there will be stalwarts like Surya and Hardik Pandya, too, who are still amongst the biggest match-winners in the format.
RG looks at 5 Indian players who can make a difference in the series.
1. SURYAKUMAR YADAV
Suryakumar Yadav (SKY) is one of the greatest batters in T20I cricket history with an aggregate of 2432 runs in just 68 innings at an average of 42.66 and a stunning strike rate of 168.65. His batting average places him at number 3 on the all-time list (minimum of 1000 runs) after Mohammad Rizwan and Virat Kohli. No batter in international T20 cricket (minimum of 1000 runs) has a higher scoring rate than SKY! He has hammered four hundreds in the format which are the second-most after Glenn Maxwell and Rohit Sharma who have five tons each. SKY is the Mr 360-degrees of T20I cricket – he plays shots in all directions all around the wicket, making him one of the most difficult batters to bowl to in T20 cricket.
He is unorthodox and has annihilated the best in the world with his dazzling stroke-play. India won 19 of the 24 matches, and SKY crossed 50.
2. RIYAN PARAG
Riyan Parag finally broke the shackles and showcased his prowess with the bat in this season’s IPL where he blasted 573 runs in 14 innings at an average of just over 52 and strike rate of 149.2! Parag produced six high-impact performances during the tournament and was the leading run-getter for Rajasthan Royals (and the third-highest overall) after Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad. Parag’s T20 fortunes changed when he piled on 510 runs for Assam in just 10 innings at a magnificent strike rate of 182.79 in the 2023 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy – Parag was the leading run-getter of the season and took Assam to the semi-finals of India’s most prestigious domestic T20 tournament.
3. RAVI BISHNOI
Ravi Bishnoi is a big wicket-taker in T20I cricket and has already bagged 48 wickets in 32 appearances for India at an average of 18.95. His strike rate of 15.5 is the third-best for an Indian bowler (minimum 40 wickets) after Kuldeep Yadav (12.4) and Arshdeep Singh (13.4). Bishnoi displayed a good wicket-taking propensity in India’s last T20I series – against Sri Lanka in June – where he returned with six wickets including a Player of the Match performance in the second match of the series (3-26 in 4 overs).
Bishnoi is much more lethal against right-handers (in comparison to left-handers) and has dismissed 38 of their ilk at an average of 15.84 and strike rate of 13.68.
4. RINKU SINGH
Rinku Singh had a great start to his T20I career and smashed 356 runs in his first 11 innings for India at a startling strike rate of 176.23. He was India’s new poster boy in the death overs, and he struck at more than 200 runs per hundred deliveries. Rinku’s highest impact knock came against South Africa at Port Elizabeth where he hammered an unbeaten 68 off just 39 deliveries, albeit in a losing cause. In January this year, he blasted six sixes in his 39-ball undefeated 69 against Afghanistan in Bengaluru. However, an indifferent IPL this season, and Rinku was left out of India’s squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean/USA. With a few stalwarts calling it a day post the marquee event, Rinku is back in the mix and will be India’s X-factor in the slog overs, where he has a strike rate of 226.4!
5. ABHISHEK SHARMA
Abhishek Sharma took IPL 2024 by storm blasting 484 runs in 16 innings at a stunning strike rate of 204.21 – the second-highest in the tournament (minimum 200 runs) after Australia’s Jake Fraser-McGurk! In fact, it was the third-highest scoring rate for any batter who has scored a minimum of 300 runs in any season after Fraser-McGurk (234.04 in 2024) and Andre Russell (204.81)! Abhishek revolutionized batting in the powerplay and along with his opening partner, Travis Head broke many records in a season where bat dominated ball like never before. Abhishek continued his form from the IPL to international T20 cricket, where he clobbered a 46-ball hundred in just his second appearance for India against Zimbabwe in Harare in July this year.
Nikhil Narain
