As the second phase of IPL 2021 is about to kick off in less than 2 days from now, this edition of the tournament may very well be the last chance for a few Indian cricketers to get their ticket to the national team.
With the cutthroat competition that the Indian cricketers must go through now, opportunities are very rare. At times it even boils down to just a solitary match that comes your way and that is all you have to prove your way to stay afloat.
In this story, we will look at five Indian cricketers who must give it all to either make the cut for the Indian cricket team or stay afloat in the national contingency.
#1 Shreyas Iyer
Though it is too early to pass out a verdict on this young sensation with the rise of Ishan Kishan, SKY and Rishabh Pant, opportunities will get even rarer for the erstwhile Delhi Capitals captain. Shreyas Iyer will have to prove his worth in the limited number of games that will come his way. An injury kept him out in the first leg of the tournament. The sudden halt in the tournament due to the pandemic gave ample time for Iyer to recuperate. Given the fact that Kohli and Rohit will continue at least for the next three years, if Iyer fails to make the national team in the coming days, that may very well spell the end for his career.
#2 Sandeep Warrier
Warrier has managed to rack up significant credentials in the domestic circuit. However, with inconsistency being his familiar foe, he will have to surpass his previous failures to come to the fore. The fast bowler couldn’t bag an opportunity in the opening phase of IPL 2021. However, with Mavi, Krishna and Nagarkoti not really succeeding, the management may choose Warrier to be their opening pace duo alongside Tim Southee. With the glut of fast bowlers in their ranks, it will be interesting to watch how does Warrier adapts to the challenges surrounding him.
#3 Shivam Dube
One can almost say it now itself that Dube has almost very little gas left in him. If he will have to survive in the hunt for the middle-order batsman with Hardik Pandya entering a vortex of entropy, this will be his last shot at redemption. He has already been woeful in the preceding appearances that he has made for the nation after initial bursts of success, however, further slip-ups in IPL 2021 can literally bury his career six feet under.
#4 Navdeep Saini
Though this young fast bowler managed to impress heavily in the preceding edition of the IPL, his following showdowns against Australia made us question our reckoning that was it too early of a call-up for the fast bowler. There is no doubt about the youngster’s pace as he can easily hit 145 plus clicks. However, what has been his concern is his deviation from decent line and length. Despite having pace in his kitty, he has failed to utilize it as most of the time his deliveries are outside the line of the stumps.
#5 Vijay Shankar
In case if Hardik Pandya does slip up in the imminent World Cup, the Indian selectors may look at an all-rounder for the middle-order. Pandya’s bowling has been cut short due to his back injury and that focuses his attention on batting. However, Shankar can pull off a couple of decent overs for the team but his ability to bat has been highly questionable. It can almost be said that his career has entered into a steep slope of descent but in case if he does manage to pull off a phenomenal show in the remainder of the tournament, there will be a slender hope that he may still make the cut for the national team as a back-up all-rounder.
