5 uncapped Indian players who might receive maiden call-up on Sri Lanka tour
The world has seen many new things in the last two years. This year, the Indian cricket universe will see a new thing, and that will be two different Indian teams on tour. The Indian Test squad will depart to the United Kingdom for six Test matches. During the same period another Indian squad, majorly featuring uncapped players, will leave for Sri Lanka.
BCCI has planned three ODIs and three T20Is against Sri Lanka in July. The board has clarified the players of the Test squad will stay in England from June to September. So, a new captain and many new uncapped Indian players will be in action during the Sri Lanka tour. Here are five uncapped Indian players who might receive their maiden call-up.
1. One of the most impressive uncapped Indian players in IPL - Nitish Rana
Nitish Rana has been one of the top performers for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. Although he is a bit inconsistent, Rana has proven himself as a match-winner with his big knocks.
First, he played for the Mumbai Indians and then switched to KKR. Rana could be a solid addition to the Indian top-order for the six matches in Sri Lanka.
2. Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan made his IPL debut for the Punjab Kings earlier this year. He played some good knocks lower down the order, proving he can be considered a reliable player in the pressure situations.
Khan has done this job well for the Tamil Nadu cricket team. Thus, he could be a good choice for the middle-order batsman's role in the series against Sri Lanka.
3. One of the best Indian uncapped players - Devdutt Padikkal
It will be a tough call for the BCCI to decide who will be the openers of the Indian team on this team. There are three candidates - Prithvi Shaw, Devdutt Padikkal and Shikhar Dhawan. Even Nitish Rana and Ishan Kishan can open.
Padikkal has performed brilliantly in the domestic arena and the IPL over the last two seasons. He even scored his first IPL ton in the 2021 season versus the Rajasthan Royals. Hence, the Indian selectors should consider Padikkal.
4. Harshal Patel
Harshal Patel raised many eyebrows with his consistent performances for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2021. Patel was the most successful bowler in the recently suspended IPL 2021 season.
Since he is in good touch, Patel might get a place in the Indian fast-bowling unit for the Sri Lankan tour. He can perform well in the white-ball cricket against the islanders.
5. Chetan Sakariya
The wildcard pick for the Sri Lankan tour could be Chetan Sakariya. Again the reason is his good performance in the IPL and domestic cricket. Sakariya could earn a place in the squad because T Natarajan is still recovering after his surgery. So, the Indian selectors will have two options for the left-arm fast bowler's role if Natarajan does not make it.
The two names will be Saurashtra's Jaydev Unadkat and Chetan Sakariya. Both left-arm fast bowlers played for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2021. While Unadkat can be the first choice player for the left-arm quick's role, Chetan could be a decent backup option for him.