New Delhi: The BCCI’s decision to rest some of the senior players has come as a blessing in disguise for many youngsters waiting in the flanks for their turn to prove their mettle. The Indian squad announced for the Zimbabwe tour does not feature prominent names such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Hardik Pandya and Ajinkya Rahane. The decision to rest them has been taken in view of the hectic schedule of the Indian cricket team for the past two months that included Asia Cup and World T20 followed by the ongoing Indian Premier League.
For the upcoming limited-over series against Zimbabwe from June 11-22 that includes three T20Is and three ODIs, the BCCI has chosen to offer a chance to five uncapped players.
Karun Nair: Delhi Daredevils might have failed to make it to the play-offs of the Indian Premier League, but Karun Nair succeeded in impressing the national selectors with his excellent batting performance. The middle-order batsman scored 357 runs in 14 matches with an average of 35.70 and a strike rate of 120. He smashed three half-centuries, including his fiery 83-run inning against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Playing domestic cricket for Karnataka, Nair smashed three consecutive centuries in the quarter-final, semi-final and final of the 2013-14 Ranji Tophy season. He also made a marathon triple hundred in the Ranji final against Tamil Nadu in 2015.
Yuzvendra Chahal: After Virat Kohli’s sublime batting form, Yuzvendra Chahal has played a crucial role in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s four consecutive wins that they needed to get into the play-offs. His exquisite bowling performances in the IPL have been the main reason for his selection in the limited-over squad for the Zimbabwe tour.
Currently holding the Purple Cap, the right-arm leg spinner has grabbed 19 wickets in just 11 matches so far with an average of 17.05 and economy rate of 7.87.
Jayant Yadav: Jayant Yadav might have failed to perform in the ongoing IPL but his above-average and consistent show in domestic cricket over the last couple of seasons has been a major reason for his selection for the Zimbabwe tour.
The 26-year-old Haryana off-spinner has played 40 first-class matches in which he has taken 110 wickets with an average of 30.15 and has scored 1463 runs with the highest of 211 against Karnataka in the 2012 Ranji Trophy.
Faiz Fazal: Another uncapped player included in the 16-men squad for Zimbabwe series by Indian selectors is Vidarbha batsman Faiz Fazal. Fazal is the only player in the team who is currently not playing for any team in the IPL. His performances in domestic cricket are the reason for his selection in the limited-over squad.
Fazal scored 312 runs in seven innings with an average of 52 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2015-16. Plating for Rest of India (ROI), he smashed a vital 127 runs in the 2016 Irani Cup final against Mumbai.
Mandeep Singh: Punjab middle-order batsman is another uncapped player who got selected in the squad for the Zimbabwe tour because of his excellent performance in domestic cricket.
Mandeep has scored 3699 runs in 57 first-class matches with an average of 54.83, including ten centuries and sixteen half-centuries. In the 2013-14 Ranji Trophy season, he was the second highest run scorer for Punjab with 616 runs.
