IPL 10: Time to rise and shine for India's young turks

MUMBAI: The build-up to this year's IPL has been peculiar in every sense. The frills, thrills and shrills which fanned the buzz for the last nine editions have been largely toned down. What's bizarre is that some of the big names of Indian cricket, usually a given for IPL, have either fallen prey to the long-drawn season or just don't have enough fuel in the tank for the annual summer slam.
Even a few imports have excused themselves for different reasons, leaving their respective franchises in a fix.The absence of some the big names, however, has presented a perfect opportunity for some of the budding Indian cricketers to step up to the plate and make a name for themselves. Young turks like Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, T Natarajan, Mohammed Siraj and Rahul Chahar have a chance to corner glory.
“This is the one of the best-possible opportunities for all the Indian players to show their jalwa (talent).It's not a question of Rishabh Pant or Sanju Samson, it can be any cricketer,“ says former India wicketkeeper and Kiran More.
“We do have backup plans, and players who are capable of doing the job, but the first-choice players will definitely be missed. The IPL, though, is all about this. The youngsters get an opportunity to display their talent,“ reckons Delhi Daredevils assistant coach Pravin Amre.
Explaining his point further, More says: “Take the example of Pune, where Ashwin isn't playing. Someone may be good enough to take his place. Like in the RCB, (left-arm spinner) Pawan Negi wants to make a comeback, he can show his talent. So, a lot of players who've been in and out of the Indian team an rise again and shine.
“For the youngsters too, this is a golden chance to make an impression. Honestly, they won't get a better opportunity than this to showcase their skills -there are injuries in all the teams. With Virat and KL Rahul not being there, the likes of Sarfaraz Khan and Mandeep Singh or any Indian player in that set-up has to step up. In MI, there is Saurabh Tiwary, who was once with the Indian team. Then there's Nitish Rana.“
Having coached Iyer since he was 2, Amre is naturally keen that the DD opener fires this season to make up for the last time's disappointment, when all he managed was 17 runs in six games. “This year, the Test call-up, and the double-hundred against Australia (at CCI in a warm-up game) has boosted his confidence and will help him to do well. There are many positives with him. We have our hopes pinned on him,“ says the former India batsman. “ Among those who've been picked up from the India U-19 team, I'm looking forward to see the performance of Rahul Chahar leg-spinner, who'll play for the Risng Pune Supergiant), who looks good for the T20 format,“ he adds.
Ex-India batsman Mohammad Kaif, who has just begin his coaching career by assisting Brad Hodge t the Gujarat Lions, sounds excited.
Shivil Kaushik looks impressive in the nets. He's become much fitter. He has a different action, and puts revolutions on the ball. Then there's Ishan Kishan, who's a natural striker of the ball and hits it hard and Akshdeep Nath. I hope Kishan is able to convert his starts (20s) into bigger scores. That's the challenge for him,“ Kaif says.
For former India and Mumbai pacer Paras Mhambrey , who's an assistant coach with the Mumbai Indians, Delhi Daredevils `keeper-bat Pant is the man to watch out for. “I'll have an eye on Pant for sure. He has matured in the last two years after playing domestic cricket. I saw him from an early age when he was a part of the Reliance set-up,“ he says. Indeed, it will be exciting if someone who may otherwise not have found a starting XI spot, say a Sarfaraz or a Mandeep, fills the massive shoes of Virat at RCB and showcases his talent! If that happens, there will be no one happier than the franchise. Somewhere, the India selectors too will notice that here's a youngster, who got that one chance, and boy did he cash in!