India vs Sri Lanka 4th T20I Talking Points | Manish Pandey's scintillating form and Washington Sundar's immense potential

When a 17-year-old Washington Sundar was called up as a replacement for R Ashwin by the Rising Pune Supergiant last season not many would have predicted that he would play 11 games for the team that made it all the way to the finals. The numbers that usually attract the masses, ie, wickets, might not have been too impressive. With just 8 wickets to his name, Sundar did not impress in that department but where he did, was the economy rate column. He gave away just 6.16 runs an over in his matches and there was no surprise that this time around,  RCB came in and paid 3.2 crores for his services. 

So when India decided to send their reserve side for the Nidahas Trophy, it came as a surprise to no one that Sundar was on the list. And how the youngster has impressed again. He has claimed four wickets in three matches but that isn’t really his forte now, is it? He has given away runs at just an average of a run a ball. What makes those numbers sound even more impressive is the fact that he bowls at least two overs in the powerplay of a series where the average powerplay run rate has been close to 12 runs an over. It is very rare that a youngster bowls with such maturity and if he can keep it up, Ashwin might not be the Tamil Nadu spinner who finds himself in England come the World Cup next year.

There are very few players who have divided opinions in Indian cricket like Manish Pandey. The now 28-year old came into the mainstream limelight with a century in the IPL in 2009. However, it was almost a decade before his name appeared in the newspapers again. His century against Australia in Sydney was supposed to be a watershed moment for the youngster. But it was not meant to be. He never got an extended run in the side and with the few chances that he did get, it is fair to say that he underperformed. But that seems to have changed now.

The current Indian team is arguably one of the best that has been assembled in cricket for quite a while. And it’s not just the playing XI. The reserve squad also has some players who would waltz into the teams that India are playing in the Nidahas Trophy. However, the tactics that India have deployed recently leave a lot more to be desired. The biggest strength of the side is the leg-spinning duo available at their disposal. However, the same turns into a huge problem when the outfield is wet. In the limited overs series against South Africa, India lost just two matches and there was an obvious reason for that - a wet outfield due to rain. While Chahal conceded at 12.36 in his overs, Kuldeep leaked runs at 8.5 runs an over. In the T20 game, Chahal was expensive again with an economy rate of 16.

Who will be the PSL champions? Predict Today & WIN Cash Prizes.

Download NostraGamus here to get ₹20 Joining Bonus FREE!

Predict Matches to Win UNLIMITED PayTM Cash Prizes! Over 4,000 winners daily.