R Sai Kishore, Shahrukh Khan added in reserves for T20Is against West Indies
After the miserable tour of South Africa, India will go loggerheads against West Indies in a limited overs series under the leadership of new captain, Rohit Sharma. As Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the limited overs series and Ravindra Jadeja has still not recovered from his knee injury, some new players have got the opportunity to play for India.
Indian Premier League (IPL) heroes - Harshal Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Deepak Hooda and Prasidh Krishna - will be part of the Indian contingent in this series. Also, Tamil Nadu players - Shahrukh Khan and Ravi Srinivasan Sai Kishore – have been included in the contingent as standbys for the three-match T20I series.
R Sai Kishore, Shahrukh Khan mainstays of SMAT 2021-22 winners, Tamil Nadu
R Sai Kishore has been one of the standout players in the Indian first-class cricket system. The 25-year-old is the mainstay of the Tamil Nadu cricket team which won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for two straight years. The left-arm spinner bagged 10 wickets in eight matches in SMA Trophy 2021-22 with a remarkable economy rate of 6.06. He bowled a match-winning spell of 12/3 in his quota of four overs in the final of the SMA Trophy to help his side to finish at the podium. Also, in the previous season of SMA Trophy, he snared eight wickets in the same number of matches with an economy rate of just 4.82.
He has taken 43 wickets in 33 T20 matches in domestic cricket as shown in the below chart. He is one of the pillars of the title-winning campaigns of Tamil Nadu in the last two years in the SMA Trophy. He was also part of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) squad in IPL but didn’t get any opportunity till now. Along with his magical spin bowling, he can add some runs in the lower-order for Team India in limited over formats. He can be an extra option for the Indian team alongside Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.
Read More: Ind vs WI: Bishnoi, Hooda, Avesh earn National call-up, Kuldeep back for ODIs; Rohit to lead
R Sai Kishore Domestic Record - Bowling
R Sai Kishore Domestic Record - Batting
Shahrukh Khan's Domestic Record - Batting
Another Tamil Nadu player, Shahrukh Khan has been added to India’s squad as a standby for the T20I series. He smashed a match-winning unbeaten knock of 33 runs off just 15 balls in the final to win the SMA Trophy title for his side. He is known for his hitting prowess in the death overs of the innings. He has played for Punjab Kings (PBKS) in IPL in 11 matches. He has shown a glimpse of his destructive batting talent in the few opportunities he got for Punjab Kings.
Shahrukh has struck 7 fifties in List A matches for Tamil Nadu, as shown in the above chart. Team India’s think-tank can think of grooming Shahrukh for the T20I team as a finisher. However, he hasn’t bowled much in domestic cricket which can become a hindrance in his way to playing for India.
As India’s selectors have included youngsters like Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Ravi Bishnoi, Deepak Hooda and Venkatesh Iyer in their limited-overs squads, it will be interesting to see how they entertain fans with their performance in the upcoming series against West Indies.
India will play three matches in the ODI series against West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 6, 9 and 11. They will then head towards the eastern metropolis of Kolkata to play a three-match T20I series at the Eden Gardens on February 16, 18 and 20.
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