In a country with a population more than a billion, it’s not a piece of cake to be able to make it the national cricket team. A lot of talented players have been given chances but only a handful of them make a career out of it. A dip in form or an unwelcome injury can change the fortunes of these cricketers.
However, those who are willing to put in the hard yards can always make a comeback. In the recently announced Indian squad for a white-ball series in Sri Lanka, a few youngsters have made it back into the team on the back of some good domestic performances.
On that note, we take a look at 3 such players who are set to make a comeback for India:
1) Prithvi Shaw
The Indian opener had an unreal domestic season, especially the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He amassed a mammoth 827 runs, and became the first player to breach the 800-run mark. This included 3 150+ scores, of which one was a scintillating 227* against Puducherry.
After the Australian tour, the Mumbaikar went under the radar and improved his batting technique. In the recent IPL, the results showed as he formed a dangerous alliance with Shikhar Dhawan at the top. His hard work has paid off, as the selectors picked up in the squad for the tour.
Although Shaw hasn’t played a T20I yet, he’s likely to make his debut against Sri Lanka.
2) Manish Pandey
Manish Pandey is set to make a comeback as well after being snubbed for the England series that concluded recently. His appearance in the national jersey has been sporadic. However, he’ll be looking to secure his place once and for all in the white-ball series.
An interesting fact to note is that in every T20I match that Manish has been part of since 2018, India has won every single one of them. Just being the lucky charm will not make a difference in his career though, as he’s 31-years-old now and his chances are slowly dwindling.
Manish had a pretty average 2021 IPL, even being dropped by SRH after a string of poor performances. Nevertheless, he’ll be on a mission to turn things around, come July 13.
3) Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson is probably the most talented but also the most inconsistent batsman India has ever seen. His potential is there for all to see in the IPL. A big setback in his gameplay is his over-aggressive approach to shot-making which backfires most of the time.
He has some of the cleanest textbook strokes in the cricketing world. However, he needs to rein it in and build on the good starts he usually gets. His last appearance for India came against Australia in the shortest format. With a decent IPL to show for his efforts, which included a blistering 119 against Punjab, he’ll be looking forward to cementing his place in the side.