Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: 5 players who are eyeing comeback – With Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy set to begin, top players featuring in SMAT 2021 are eying a comeback in the Indian team for the New Zealand T20I series. With senior regulars all set to set be rested for the NZ series, some of the out-of-favour players like Yuzvendra Chahal, Manish Pandey, Sanju Samson are eying a comeback in the Indian set-up. Follow updates of SMAT 2021 on InsideSport.
After the conclusion of the ongoing T20 World Cup, some players from the Indian squad will be rested ahead for the T20I series against New Zealand. While the IPL stars like Venkatesh Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prithvi Shaw are all set to get a look in, the ones like Yuzvendra Chahal, Manish Pandey, who have fallen out of favours will have a chance to make an impression to book their berth in India squad. InsideSport takes a look at the 5 players who are eying a comeback.
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021: Top 5 players who are eyeing a comeback in Team India squad for NZ T20I series
Manish Pandey (Karnataka): Manish Pandey despite all his talent, he hasn’t been able to cement his place in India’s white-ball squad. The 31-year-old stylish batsman has the ability to stabilize the middle-order and can play some good knocks. Since he is not part of Indian team at T20 World Cup, Manish Pandey will lead the Karnataka team for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He will look to put a good show in SMAT 2021 in order to make a comeback of the Indian side. Manish Pandey has played 39 matches and scored 709 runs for India in T20 internationals.
Yuzvendra Chahal (Haryana): Yuzvendra Chahal was surprisingly left out from India squad for T20 World Cup even after a great outing in phase 2 of the IPL this year. Yuzvendra Chahal will play domestic cricket for Haryana in SMAT 2021. If he has a good run in the T20 domestic cricket tournament, Chahal will return to the India side. The 31-year-old is the leading wicket-taker for India in T20I, scalping 63 wickets from 49 matches.
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021: Top 5 players who are eyeing a comeback in Team India squad for NZ T20I series
Sanju Samson (Kerala): The destructive Kerala batsman is the other player who has never been able to establish himself in international cricket despite getting chances. While Sanju Samson has dominated IPL, his inconsistency has let him down. After T20 World Cup snub, Sanju Samson will lead Kerala in the SMAT 2021 and some good knocks will put him in good stead to make the India team for NZ series.
Mayank Agarwal: Mayank Agarwal was considered as one of India’s top batsmen when he burst into the scene on the back of a terrific domestic season in 2017-18. While he did make it to the Test side, he failed to justify his selection in the white-ball side. After not getting an opportunity in the England Test series, now he has an opportunity to impress selectors for New Zealand series with some good knocks in the Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Mayank Agarwal had a fine outing in IPL 2021, aggregating 441 runs from 12 matches for Punjab Kings. The Karnataka star has played 15 international matches and aggregated 1138 for India.
Also read: Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Most titles to Fastest century, check out all the records
Shivam Dube: Shivam Dube was seen as the next batsman who could help in fixing the middle-order woes of Indian team, especially play as a back-up to Hardik Pandya. But he could never establish himself. But with Hardik Pandya struggling with a back issue, Shivam Dube now has a golden opportunity to put up some all-round performances and make it back to the Indian team. The last time he played for India was in February 2020 in the New Zealand series. He has played 13 T20Is and scored 105 runs for India.
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