A fabulous show in the IPL could see Jammu pacer Umran Malik as one of the first names listed on the team sheet when the selectors meet here on Sunday to pick the squads for the five-match T20I series in South Africa at home, the two T20Is in Ireland and the England tour, which includes one Test, three T20Is and three ODIs.
Though Sunrisers Hyderabad have been knocked out of this IPL, Umran, who has impressed everyone with his extreme pace, could be in both the squads and in line for a Test debut in Birmingham.
“It would be nice if the all-format international cricketers are rested and some promising new players are tried out in the series against South Africa. But one must also raise an important question: aren’t we playing too much cricket? One hopes that the BCCI’s approach of putting Team India on a treadmill-like schedule doesn’t lead to player and audience fatigue” an expert was quoted as saying.
Also in line for a maiden call-up could be Punjab’s left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, according to sources. T Natarajan (SRH), Avesh Khan and Mohsin Khan (LSG) are the other left-arm pacers who’ve impressed in this IPL, and either of them could find a spot in the India T20I side. The SA T20Is will be the start of a series of ‘auditions’ for a berth in India’s T20 World Cup squad.
Worryingly, there’s a fair bit of injury crisis too, with six players, namely Deepak Chahar (quadricep), Ravindra Jadeja (rib), Suryakumar Yadav (left thumb and forearm), T Natarajan (hamstring), Washington Sundar (split webbing) and Harshal Patel (hand injury) recovering from injuries.
Others are in the reckoning are Maharashtra’s Rahul Tripathi, who dazzled for SRH this season, and Hyderabad’s promising left-hander Tilak Varma. Ruturaj Gaikwad could be given another chance against South Africa.
