5 Indian yongsters who deserve national call-up in 2019

Indian cricket has been growing by leaps and bounds and the last two years have been pretty productive for the team. The pace attack has never been this good and intimidating and the batsmen are more positive than ever. Ever since Virat took over as the captain, we see the Indians walk out with a sense of intent mixed with aggression, and a keen desire to win. This has radiated to the youngsters as well. India won the U19 World Cup earlier this year and more than half of the XI that featured in the finals are on the selectors’ radar. Teenage sensation Prithvi Shaw has already made his mark in the international circuit. A few others were unlucky to miss out on the prestigious national call-up this year and so, let’s have a look at the players whom we could see making their debut for India in 2019. Mind you, these players deserve their national call-ups owing to their consistent and impressive performances. Nitish Rana Nitish Rana. (Photo Source: Twitter) The find of IPL 2017, Rana showed us that he was worth something. Amassing 333 runs in 14 games is no joke, considering the pace at which the star-studded competition moves. In the Ranji season that followed the mega event that year, Rana accumulated 613 runs from 8 games. In 2018, the elegant left-hander was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders for a whopping 3.4 crores and he justified his price tag by scoring 304 runs in 15 games. No surprises, Nitish has been retained by the Knight Riders for the 2019 season. Earlier this year, in November, Rana was made the captain of the Delhi Ranji team, following Gambhir’s retirement. Rana’s elegance has certainly boosted his career and he was unlucky to miss out on a national call-up in 2018. The coming year is surely going to be Rana’s for the taking. Shivam Mavi Shivam Mavi. (Photo Source: Twitter) The youngster shot into prominence after a successful U19 World Cup campaign. Capable of bowling at an excess of 140+, the speedster was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2018 IPL auction for a whopping 3 crores. Mavi impressed everyone in his IPL campaign. Barring a few games in the start, Mavi returned to his best and more often than not, he was entrusted with the responsibility to bowl towards the death. Having an economy of 9.64 towards the death is pretty reasonable. In the 9 matches that the youngster featured in, he picked up 5 wickets. In the 6 matches that Mavi played in the U19 World Cup, he picked up 9 wickets at an impressive economy of 4.12. The youngster responds well to pressure and even though the pressure at the international stage is a bit more, Mavi is more than capable of making his performances run the game. Shivam Mavi might just get a call-up in 2019. Avesh Khan Avesh Khan of India. (Photo by Pal Pillai/Getty Images for Nissan) The 22-year-old speedster is a modern day bowler who has many variations and tricks up his sleeves. Avesh is a nippy seamer who can bowl those sudden and quick bouncers which are enough to rattle any well-set batsman. When in fine rhythm, Khan is capable of clicking 140 kmph on the speedometer. Avesh had a very promising start to his career when he represented India U19 team in two World Cups. Avesh Khan showcased his capabilities when he returned as India’s highest wicket-taker in the 2015 U19 WC with 12 scalps to his name at a more than impressive average of 15.08. With his 2018 IPL stint with the Delhi Daredevils being successful, Avesh will be hopeful of having another impressive season to get the prestigious national call-up. Devdutt Padikkal Devdutt Padikkal. (Photo Source: Twitter) The teenage sensation from Karnataka has been in a rich vein of form in the domestic circuit with his performances. Devdutt was one such name that surprised each and everyone in this auction and more so when he was picked up Royal Challengers Bangalore for a sum of 20 Lakhs. The left-hander notched 183 runs in four matches at an average of 45.75 with a top score of 121 against the UAE in Bangladesh, in this year’s U19 Asia Cup. Padikkal is already being touted as the next Yuvraj Singh as his batting style resembles Yuvraj more than anyone and his 72 against the Bengaluru Blasters does remind one of Yuvraj in the early days of his career. Should his consistently improving performances continue, the 18-year-old will be on the selection radar sooner than one can realise and if not next year, Devdutt will soon make his national debut. He is a prospect to watch out for. Shubman Gill Shubman Gill. (Photo Source: Twitter) Already being hailed as the next Virat Kohli, Shubman has a wide arsenal of shots in his armoury. Shubman is a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders and he scored 203 runs in the 11 innings that he played for his side at a mind-boggling strike rate of 146. All these stats might seem pretty average but it has to be kept in mind that Shubman didn’t get much time in the crease as he was given a place in the middle-order. Shubman Gill overhauled his U19 captain Prithvi Shaw in the World Cup held earlier this year and he was also adjudged as the Player of the Series. The 19-year-old is a fine example of class blended with a radical approach towards the game. Gill can pace his innings pretty well and he could be the solution to India’s long-standing number four problem in the ODI set-up. With Prithvi Shaw already having made his debut against the Windies, Gill is certainly on the selectors’ radar and it’s already a matter of time before we see the right-handed batsman from Punjab getting a national call-up. Get the latest Cricket News and updates, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.

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5 Indian yongsters who deserve national call-up in 2019

These names have been consistent performers in the domestic circuit.

Avesh Khan

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