The Bangladesh tour of India is a much-anticipated tour as there has been so much drama leading up to it. The tour comprises 3 T20Is and 2 test matches including a day-night test match at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Bangladesh has a rich history of producing exciting, young players, but the development of those players has always been an issue for them which is why Bangladesh has not yet become one of the top teams in the world.
India, on the other hand, just crunch cricketing talents. Every year, a few players emerge out of the domestic circuit of India and the Indian Premier League (IPL) who make people go awestruck.
In the upcoming India vs Bangladesh T20I series, there will be some youngsters on the show again, from both sides. Here are the 5 young players to watch out for in this series –
#1 Mohammad Naim
Mohammad Naim is undoubtedly one of the best young talents going around in Bangladesh. Although, he is yet to get international exposure at the senior level, he is already a big name in Bangladesh’s domestic circuit.
Naim averages around 22 in the domestic T20 cricket he has played in Bangladesh. These numbers might not speak very highly of Naim as a player, but the coaches, who have seen him from his junior days, believe he is an ideal fit for the shortest format of the game.
With Shakib Al Hasan not in the Bangladesh set-up anymore, the Tigers need an aggressive left-hander.
While it’s near-impossible for a young man to fill the boots of somebody of the stature of Shakib, if Naim can put on a couple of decent performances on the India tour, the Bangladesh selectors will have something to work with.
#2 Aminul Islam
Aminul Islam was a late addition to the Bangladesh T20I squad. He got picked after Tamim Iqbal ruled himself out of the tour to stay with his pregnant wife.
Aminul is a leg-spinner and the leg spinners are always valuable in T20 cricket because of their ability to turn the ball both ways. Bangladesh is looking for a quality leg-spinner anyway.
The Tigers have traditionally been pretty solid in the spin department, but that’s mostly because of their left-arm spinners. A leg-spinner like Aminul will, however, add another dimension to the attack.
Apart from his leg-spin, Aminul can bat a bit as well and can be the right candidate to fill the all-rounder’s slot at no. 8.
#3 Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson has been impressing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for quite a while, but the only hurdle in his selection was that he was not as consistent in domestic cricket as the selectors wanted him to be.
However, he had a good Vijay Hazare Trophy this season where he scored a double hundred and that led to his selection in the Indian T20I squad.
Sanju is a crisp timer of the ball. He hardly ever hits the ball hard, but the ball just races off his bat.
Sanju is not a power hitter, but his extraordinary timing is what makes him a quality T20 player. He can fetch boundaries at will when he is on the song and can clear the ground as well if the situation demands.
#4 Shivam Dube
Shivam Dube is another bright prospect for India who can rattle the opposition with his clean striking. He is a bit different from Sanju though. He is a proper muscle hitter and forces the ball over the fence rather than timing it.
Shivam can generate a lot of power both against the fast bowlers and the spinners which is why the Indian team management might want to use him in the finisher’s role.
India has struggled to find quality finishers since MS Dhoni’s game has gone downhill. If Shivam delivers and finds his feet at the international level, he can form a lethal finishing combination with Hardik Pandya lower down the order.
Shivam has played 19 T20 matches at the domestic level and has accumulated 242 runs. While he averages only around 18 in those matches, his strike rate of 140 plus is what makes him a special player.
#5 Rahul Chahar
Rahul Chahar is the proper modern-day leggie. India has had two quality leggies of late, in the form of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, but the problem with Kuldeep was that his speed through the air was very slow.
The batsmen were able to negotiate Kuldeep off the backfoot which was taking his mystery factor out of play. So, the Indian selectors have now decided to try Rahul Chahar who is much quicker in the air.
Not only is Chahar quicker in the air as compared to Kuldeep, but he is also tall as well and bowls it flat which doesn’t allow the batsmen to come down the track.
You can’t play Chahar off the back-foot either unless he pitches it way short. If you hang back to anything back of a length, it will skid through with his pace.
Chahar might have a huge role to play for India in the WT20 next year and the selectors will keep an eye on his performance in this series.