Hyderabad: The Indian team picked on Sunday ran high on new picks, who seem to have been rewarded for their IPL show as the tournament continues to unearth some of the finest talents on offer for the Indian national cricket team. Umran Malik's inclusion was certainly a conundrum as it was up to the selectors who went with the direct inclusion of the fast bowler into the Indian team rather than grooming him through domestic cricket and subsequently bring him into the Indian fold.
ETV Bharat analyses Indian team's selection for the one-off Test at Edgbaston and the five-match T20I series against South Africa.
Umran Malik: He is the IPL's fastest bowler, having won 14 consecutive awards for the fastest delivery of the match. To blood him into the squad was inevitable. Before the squad was released by the BCCI Sunday, it remained to be seen as to how the cricketing body was planning to go about Umran - whether they wanted to take him through the gruelling of domestic cricket and subsequently bring him in the Indian fold or directly include him into the squad. It was also uncertain in which format -- red ball or white ball -- the 22-year-old will be drafted in.
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Now that the J&K bowler, son of a fruit seller, has become only the second bowler from the region after Parvez Rasool, who played an ODI and T20I back in 2017. J&K players haven't been able to make it to the Indian team in white shirts.
The excitement with the selection of Umran is palpable as no Indian so far has bowler as fast as him, who is consistently clocking speed in excess of 145 kmph. In the match against Delhi Capital on May 5, he registered a staggering 157 kmph. Some experts are of the view that the express bowler possesses the capability of shattering the 160 kmph record and entering the exclusive club of Shoaib Akhtar, Shaun Tait, and Brett Lee.
With 22 wickets in 14 matches at a strike rate of 13.40, Umran's rise has been inspirational and Indian management must lay the cards cautiously to groom the fast bowler into a permanent member of the Indian side.
Cheteshwar Pujara: With scores reading 6, 201*, 109, 12, 203, 16, 170* and 3, Pujara almost forced his way into the team after being dropped from the Sri Lanka tour where the selectors had replaced him with Shreyas Iyer. Pujara's county stint will hold him in good stead for the fifth Test against England at Edgbaston as he would be able to acclimatize to the conditions faster than others.
While the selector turned a blind eye to Ajinkya Rahane, his IPL shoddy performance added to the woes, Pujara made the most of his stay in England.
"I am glad to have been selected for the England Test, and happy that my recent county performances were recognized. Having spent some time in the middle during the county games, I do believe it will keep me in good stead as we get ready for the game against England," he told PTI in an interview.
While he told the Indian Express as to how he was not only looking for centuries but the target was to achieve big scores. His scores reveal that he achieved what he aimed for having three plus scores in excess of 150.
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Shikhar Dhawan: Despite his exemplary show in the IPL, seasons after seasons, selectors decided not to include in the squad against South Africa where he was even deemed as captain in the absence of Rohit Sharma. The writing is on the wall and it seems the selectors have decided to look beyond Dhawan for India's T20 set-up.
Arshdeep Singh: He has made a place of his own and the left-armer always have something special in them. Singh boasts an economy of 7.31 in IPL this year in death overs and can land yorkers at his own volition. Singh, if he maintains his tight line and length, may find himself becoming a permanent member of the India squad.
KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant: KL Rahul's Lucknow Super Giants is currently slotted at third place in the points table and his batting numbers stand at second after Jos Buttler. Selectors have backed Rahul again for Indian captaincy against South Africa in the five-match T20I series. Rishabh Pant too has earned the trust of the management as he is set to serve as the vice-captain of the Indian team.
Dinesh Karthik: One of the greatest comebacks, cricket lovers might be in a blockbuster from Dinesh Karthik after IPL exploits. He is batting with a strike-rate of 226.37. If we are to break this in numbers, he has played 91 balls so far and scored 206 runs in the league.
After being sidelined post the 2019 World Cup after India's defeat to New Zealand, Karthik has staged a remarkable comeback into the Indian fold.
Hardik Pandya: Very few cricketers in India are as talented as him. He can bowl close to 140 kmph, bat in the middle order and higher up as he has shown for Gujarat Titans, and strike the ball out of the stands, and now he has proven himself as a fine captain. His selection was bound to happen provided he is back full tilt with his bowling. Hardik's selection is a relief due to his all-around abilities.
India's Test squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain) Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohd Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.
India's T20I squad: KL Rahul (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (vice-captain)(wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik.
