We take a look at three such utility players who are underrated but have shown great promise and can be matchwinners for India.
The Indian cricket team is currently one of the top teams in the world and much of the success can be attributed to the incredible talent pool it boasts. The Indian Premier League (IPL) has also played a crucial role in increasing the team depth with some fantastic finds over the years.
While the Men in Blue already has stalwarts like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah amongst others, there are also talents that have come up the ranks and have managed to turn heads with some breakout performances.
Now, following the retirement of Kohli, Rohit and Ravindra Jadeja in the shortest format, a vacancy has opened up in the team and the newcomers will seek to consolidate their spot.
In this article, we take a look at three such utility players who are underrated but have shown great promise and can be matchwinners for India.
The dynamic all-rounder broke into the Indian team following a sensational campaign in IPL 2024 earlier this year. He scored a staggering 573 runs at an impressive average of 52.09 and also rolled his arm over with the ball on a few occasions.
Parag made his debut for India in T20Is during the Zimbabwe tour after the culmination of the T20 World Cup 2024 and then his ODI debut on the recent Sri Lanka tour. The new coaching regime under Gautam Gambhir sees tremendous potential in the youngster and also handed him the bowling responsibilities against the Islanders.
The Assam cricketer, who is primarily a batter, can be effective with the ball too, as was visible in his recent exploits against Sri Lanka where he picked up three wickets each in the ODIs and the T20Is.
Parag, if harnessed properly can evolve into a tremendous talent and he has already given a glimpse of that. Although he needs more polishing, Parag is definitely one of the underrated players in the current setup who has the ability to be a game-changer.
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Rinku Singh is another exciting talent in the Indian ranks. He made his mark during last year’s IPL (2023), scoring 474 runs at an average of 59.25 and subsequently was handed his India debut on the Ireland tour. Rinku would have made it to the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2024 but unfortunately missed out due to lack of space.
However, the retirement of the India veterans has now given Rinku a golden chance to become a mainstay in the team. Rinku’s addition gives additional batting depth to the team and he can single-handedly change the tide of the game with his explosive six-hitting abilities,
Apart from that, Rinku is a gun fielder and can contribute with the ball as well, which further increases his versatility and utility.
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Axar Patel has been one of the most vital cogs of the Indian team in recent times. The Men in Blue missed his services last year during the 2023 ODI World Cup but his availability during the T20 World Cup 2024 played a major role in India winning the trophy.
Axar Patel was a revelation as he put up an incredible show at the mega event, not just with his bowling but his batting abilities too. While Axar has shown versatility with the ball, getting crucial breakthroughs and checking run-flow, it’s his batting that has been the talk of the town.
Axar can chop and change his batting style, fitting in anywhere in the batting lineup and has the skill and mentality to absorb pressure and take on the attack to the opposition as and when required. That was visible during his fighting knock of 47 in the T20 World Cup Final against South Africa.
Axar has almost become irreplaceable and India will bank heavily on him for success in the future.
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