The Team India juggernaut has put a wrecking ball over Bangladesh. After rolling over them in the Test series, Suryakumar Yadav’s men have schooled the Asian rivals in the first two T20Is. While an all-around setup recorded a 7-wicket in a newly built stadium in Gwalior, New Delhi saw the coming of age of Nitish Kumar Reddy. With their record 16th consecutive home bilateral T20I series in pocket, will we see the bench players get a call-up to the first team?
KKR wish Harshit Rana remains ‘uncapped’?
Prior to the T20I series against Bangladesh, there were talks that the team management would have a toss-up between Harshit Rana and Mayank Yadav. However, Gautam Gambhir has stuck with the vicious pace of Mayank, giving him the prestigious debut in Gwalior. Harshit Rana, however, has been on the sidelines and was even devoided from his debut in the Sri Lankan series as well.
Following the two games, it looks likely that Harshit will get his due. Regardless, one team that might not want Harshit Rana to get his cap is his IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). While it isn’t fair to say that they wouldn’t be happy, if Rana doesn’t get a game time in this series, he will remain ‘uncapped’. Due to this, the current IPL champions will have a golden chance to retain him ahead of the IPL 2025 retentions. Will Gautam Gambhir, the former KKR mentor, have a say in his selection on October 12?
Ravi Bishnoi deserves at least one match!
No Kuldeep Yadav, no Yuzvendra Chahal, no Axar Patel, no Rahul Chahar and still no game time for Ravi Bishnoi. What wrong has he done? There was a time when the wily leg-spinner was leading the spin-pack and was also the no.1 T20I bowler not too long ago. His T20I stats are awesome as well, having taken 48 scalps in 32 innings. This year, he has mustered 14 wickets at an economy of 7.59. Before the series, he was touted to start against Bangladesh but Gautam Gambhir has brought back Varun Chakravarthy in the setup.
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Remarkably for Chakravarthy, he has starred phenomenally, having taken 5 wickets at an outstanding average of 10.00. India have played Washington Sundar as the other spin option but he even elongates the batting order. Hence, Bishnoi won’t be a like-for-like replacement for Sundar. With Chakravarthy already leaving his mark, India could afford to swap him for Bishnoi.
What about Tilak Varma & Jitesh Sharma?
Tilak Varma joined the Indian camp on the match day when Shivam Dube was ruled out due to a back injury. Varma last played for India earlier this year (January). In fact, the talented southpaw has played 16 T20Is for India, mustering 336 runs at a strike rate of nearly 140. While India have used other middle-order batters in recent times, Varma offers a left-hand option and can even roll his arm over. Will Hardik Pandya rest out to slot in his Mumbai Indians (MI) teammate in the playing XI?
On the other hand, Jitesh Sharma offers his dynamism as a hardcore finisher. Prior to the IPL 2024, he was the designated wicket-keeper of the team. Although he has made just 100 runs for India, he has operated at a strike rate of 147.05. However, after a bad IPL season, he was dropped and it actually came as a surprise when the management chose him over someone like Ishan Kishan in the team. Regardless, Suryakumar Yadav can look to give a chance to Jitesh Sharma as well. It remains to be seen on who can be replaced in the playing XI for Jitesh. It would surely not be Sanju Samson, who is in dire straits of runs at the moment.
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