Test Cricket has become quite unpopular in India, not only amongst the audiences but also among the cricketers alike. Players prefer getting huge sums of money through IPL contracts rather than giving their sweat towards the most difficult and the purest format of the game.
But, the recent historic series win against Australia is a testament that young cricketers are ready to go the long mile and work towards achieving recognition and greatness in the longest format of the game.
What a historical series win guys. Proud to be part of this group. Incredible team work can’t ask for more. Congratulations everyone for making the history ???? pic.twitter.com/Bc838HdDWV
— Rishabh Pant (@RishabPant777) January 7, 2019
Jasprit Bumrah is one such example. He debuted for India in Test Cricket in January 2017 against South Africa. Earlier, he was only considered as a limited overs bowler but he made his worth felt with unbelievable performances in South Africa, England and now Australia. He has become an irreplaceable and the go-to bowler of the captain ever since.
Here are the players who showed promise with their performances against Australia:
1.Mayank Agarwal :
Mayank Agarwal did the hard yard. He scored plenty of runs in the domestic circuit and finally got an opportunity to open the innings against Australia in Melbourne due to the poor performance of the openers KL Rahul and Murli Vijay. The 27-year-old Agarwal grabbed the opportunity with both hands. He scored an impressive 76 on debut. In the 2 games in Australia, he scored 195 runs at an average of a staggering 65.
Also Read: Mayank Agarwal Top Scorer Indian Test Debutant
2. Hanuma Vihari
Hanuma Vihari made his debut for India against England. He made 56 and made everyone sit back and take notice of the textbook style batting and pure technique. He also gave us the glimpse of the off-spin that he has to offer. In Australia when he got a chance to open the innings, he made only 8 runs but played 66 balls for it, making sure that the new ball has got withered.
3. Rishabh Pant
The left-handed wicket-keeper batsman made his presence felt with his thunderous batting display in the IPL. He soon got an opportunity in the red ball cricket due to Wriddhiman Saha’s injury. He got off with a six and made an amazing century in England in a losing cause.
‘He will be a superb player in the future’ – Sourav Ganguly is all praise for Rishabh Pant.
➡️ https://t.co/Jsb16pPfp7 pic.twitter.com/T79ZDwHTVu
— ICC (@ICC) January 8, 2019
He became the second youngest wicketkeeper and first Indian wicketkeeper to score a Test century in England. In Australia, his 159* at Sydney broke MS Dhoni’s record. He can surely become India’s number 6 batsman in the near future with an improvement in his keeping.
4.Kuldeep Yadav
The Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav is already an indisputable figure in the Indian limited overs team. He has shown promise in the Test arena too. With veteran R Ashwin unavailable due to injury, he stepped onto the plate delivering a brilliant performance at Sydney. In his 32 overs, he picked up 5 wickets becoming the first Chinaman bowler to pick up a fifer in Australia in 64 years.
Prithvi Shaw who made a stunning century on debut at home against West Indies is another bright prospect for the Indian Test team.
With the fearless Virat Kohli at the helm of this Indian Test and now ODI team as well, these new bunch of players are only going to rise high from here.
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