Vijay Hazare Trophy 2019-20: Players who will aim to have a major impact
The Vijay Hazare Trophy, India’s premier domestic ODI competition has gotten underway and will continue till October 25th. The competition provides a glorious opportunity for many players to make a mark. The players participating in it have their own stories and are at different phases in their career. Some are aiming to make a breakthrough in the Indian squad which is blessed with talent. Others are aiming to make a comeback after being dropped. Many cricketers have to come up with big performances to retain their place in the national side. While some are simply aiming to fine-tune their game and continue their form.
Here we take a look at 5 players who will have the spotlight firmly upon them during the tournament:
Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant has been constantly under the scanner since his international debut. At the start of his career, a lot of clamour had grown to make him the long-term successor to MS Dhoni across all formats. After being handed the job recently, many people have questioned whether he has the temperament to handle such a big burden on his shoulders. His shot selection and execution has been poor across all formats recently, with head coach Ravi Shastri issuing a stern warning. After a poor tour of the Caribbean and middling performances in the T20I series against South Africa, Pant will turn out for Delhi in the tournament. He will only be available for the early stages before participating in the Test series against the Proteas. But the matches will be important for him to reaffirm the belief that he is the right man for the job.
KL Rahul
It has been a difficult period for KL Rahul. Once regarded as a long-term solution to open the batting for India across all formats, Rahul now finds himself on the periphery. After a poor series in the Caribbean, Rahul has fallen out of favour from the Test reckoning. Rohit Sharma has now been assigned the job to open the batting but the jury still remains out on this call. He also has failed to cement his spot in the limited-overs squad. With the talent which he possesses, the door will never be firmly shut for him to make a comeback. Vice-captaining Karnataka, the Vijay Hazare Trophy will be a big opportunity for him to showcase his class.
Shivam Dube
All-rounders with the skills of Shivam Dube will always be in demand in the circles of Indian cricket. A handy medium pacer, Dube is also an exceptional striker of the cricket ball down the order. He recently had a fruitful series for India A against South Africa A, again showcasing his abilities. In the second unofficial Test, he played a blistering knock of 68 off only 84 deliveries. He also picked up a wicket with the ball. With India looking for a backup all-rounder for Hardik Pandya, Dube has been making a strong case for his selection. Turning out for a well-rounded Mumbai side, a good tournament for Dube will make waves around Indian cricket.
Vijay Shankar
There was a lot of controversy when Vijay Shankar made the cut for the Indian World Cup squad. He was picked for his 3D abilities, with his all-round skills making him India’s first-choice No.4 for the tournament. His campaign though came to a premature end after an injury. After the tournament, not many have mentioned Shankar’s name as far as selections in the Indian limited-overs squads are concerned. Being the vice-captain Tamil Nadu, Shankar will hope to have a big tournament with both the bat and the ball to drop his name in the reckoning again.
Navdeep Saini
Pacer Navdeep Saini has impressed one and all with his speed and penetrative abilities in T20 cricket. He has already established himself in the Indian T20I side, with skipper Virat Kohli being a big admirer. The question now remains as to whether Saini will be able to make the step up to ODI and Test cricket. The Indian team management is aiming to build up a big crop of pacers, whom they could rotate at will. Saini is being groomed to eventually make an impact in the other two formats of the game as well. The likes of Zaheer Khan have already propagated for Saini to become a fixture in the Test squad. The Vijay Hazare Trophy, where Saini will turn out for Delhi will be a big stage for him to display the giant strides he has made in his bowling.
