December 20, 2017 will mark the beginning of India’s new-look pace attack

India will be looking to climb up in the ICC T20I team rankings with a series win against an inexperienced Sri Lankan side

By: Arun Rawal |
December 20, 2017 1:41 pm

While everyone is busy talking about the 2019 World Cup and how India is aiming to test their bench strength, another big ICC event looms large just around the corner — the T20 World Cup 2020. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) surprised everyone by selecting three relatively new seamers in the T20I squad — Mohammad Siraj, Basil Thampi and Jaydev Unadkat.

Out of three in the new pace lineup, Thampi is the only uncapped player whereas Siraj and Unadkat have played one T20I each. While Bhuvneshwar Kumar is still India’s frontline bowler across all formats, BCCI is following their rotational policy to test young talents against an inexperienced Sri Lankan side.

Let’s focus on each player separately –

Mohammad Siraj
The 23-year-old did not got off to a decent start when he played his first T20I against New Zealand. The youngster faced the wrath of Colin Munro who was en route to his century. Siraj gave 53 runs from 4 overs, picking up the wicket of Kane Williamson.

However, one cannot argue that the young bloke has got pace and can swing the ball as well. He proved his worth while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), bowling under pressure in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2017. He was picked in the side for a whopping Rs 2.6 crore.

Jaydev Unadakat
India have been searching for a left-arm pacer for a long while now. After the likes of Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra retiring from Indian cricket, the Indian pace attack has been missing variety. At the moment there are two candidates for left-arm pacer — Jaydev Unadkat and Barinder Sran.

Unadkat got rewarded for his bowling prowess in IPL 2017 for Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS). The 26-year-old hit his peak after numerous seasons in the cash-rich league. He picked up 24 wickets in the season including a hat-trick. He did not make the best of the T20I debuts either as he gave away 43 runs against Zimbabwe in 2016.

Basil Thampi
The Kerala player has got serious pace and can hit the block holes with ease. He came into limelight in IPL 2017, that too playing for Gujarat Lions (GL). Thampi is an excellent death overs bowler and can restrict the flow of runs when it matters the most. The 24-year-old, however, did not create ripples in the previous season as he picked up 12 wickets from 12 games but he sure impressed the selectors.

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Thampi is a future prospect for India. He might not get a chance right away but we might see him getting tested in the three-match T20I series.

That’s our new pace battery featuring @mohammedsirajofficial @basilthamby and @jd_unadkat #TeamIndia #INDvSL

A post shared by Team India (@indiancricketteam) on Dec 19, 2017 at 3:34am PST

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Washington Sundar and Deepak Hooda too are set to make their debut under Rohit Sharma-led side. Head coach Ravi Shastri might look to experiment with the team combination which is a golden opportunity for these youngsters to mark their name in the international circuit.