Indian youngsters are maturing really quickly: Shikhar Dhawan
In a candid admission, Indian cricket team senior opening batsman, Shikhar Dhawan said that the arrival of youngsters in the squad has increased competition. Last year, we saw former U-19 team skipper Prithvi Shaw making his Test debut for India. This term, U-19 hero Shubman Gill was drafted for the series against New Zealand. Here's what Dhawan feels about youngsters.
Youngsters have attributes to shine at the international level
12 months ago, both these players were plying their trades for the Indian U-19 side. They had helped India win the U-19 Word Cup in New Zealand. And in a short span of time, these youngsters find themselves rubbing shoulders with the senior cricketers of the national team. Not to forget the impact youngster Rishabh Pant has had. He had a breakthrough debut season.
Everyone has to be on their toes: Dhawan
The competition within the Indian team is intense at the moment. Ahead of the second ODI against New Zealand, Dhawan said, "I think the youngsters are maturing really quickly in Indian cricket and that creates a lot of competition in the team, everyone has to be on their toes." "So even among the 15 (squad members), we have very high competition," added Dhawan.
Players like Shaw and Pant have cemented their places
Shaw came in and showed his prowess in his debut Test series against West Indies. He amassed 237 runs in two Tests that included a century and a fifty. Pant was awarded the ICC Emerging Player of the Year (2018) and was named in the Test XI. His numbers are impressive as well. He has 696 Test career runs in just nine matches.
'It shows that our bench strength is solid'
"Someone like a Prithvi Shaw, the way he came into the Test team and scored a century and 70 runs against the West Indies, it shows that our bench strength is also very good," said the southpaw, who lost his Test place in the team.
Shubman Gill could make his India debut soon
Besides Shaw and Pant, top order batsman Gill could also make his India debut soon. Gill has been in terrific form in the Ranji Trophy. In nine first class career matches, Gill has scored 1,089 runs at an average of 77.78. He made his debut for Punjab back in 2017. The youngster bagged his top score of 268 against Tamil Nadu last month.
Youngsters are making strides: Our take
In the pace department, there are some promising youngsters as well that could knock on the door of senior men's cricket soon. Prasidh Krishna, Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti have what it takes to lead the attack in the coming years. The youngsters have match winning abilities and this highlights a positive phase for Indian cricket. The standards of the game have improved drastically.
