As we step into a new year, let’s take a look at the vast talent pool in India and how the pipeline looks like for the upcoming year. Here’s a list of uncapped Indian players who might be worth keeping a close eye in 2021.
Ishan Kishan
A useful way to judge a middle-order T20 batsman is analysing how well they play pace and spin; if you can take down both, opposition teams quickly run out of options. Ishan Kishan’s IPL 2020 set the template for how a middle-order batsman should approach their innings in the shortest format of the game. He made 516 runs in 14 games, averaging 57.33 and striking at 145.76, but most importantly, he showed he could take on the best, consistently firing against the South Africa pacers, Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje, from Delhi Capitals. By his own admission, Kishan is someone “who can’t leave his attacking mode”. India’s T20I middle-order could use a player with that kind of fearlessness.
Ishan Porel
One among the uncapped Indian bowlers to go on the tour Down Under last month, a hamstring injury forced Ishan Porel to return to India. An impressive pacer with a good first-class record, the lanky pacer has churned out good performances in his short career thus far. The Bengal pacer picked up a five-wicket haul in the Ranji Trophy 2019-20 semi-final after returning from a successful tour of New Zealand with the India A squad. Porel might be in a long line of pacers waiting to play for India, but he has made rapid strides since his first-class debut in 2017.
