The player draft for the inaugural Zim-Afro T10 league took place on Monday, July 3, with a number of big international stars, as well as veteran Indian names, finding teams for the tournament to be played later this month.
The T10 format has picked up in terms of popularity over the last few years, with the Emirates D10 and the Abu Dhabi T10 leading the way. The European Cricket Series runs almost throughout the year and the Zim-Afro T10 is the latest addition to this fast-paced format.
Former Indian cricketers Irfan Pathan, Robin Uthappa, Parthiv Patel, Stuart Binny, S. Sreesanth, and Yusuf Pathan have all bagged gigs for the tournament, having been snapped up at the draft on Monday.
While a number of present-day international stars such as Rovman Powell, Nicholas Pooran, Moeen Ali, and Liam Livingstone among others have played T10 cricket, none of the current Indian players have done so.
In a Utopian world though, there are a fair few Indian cricketers who would have certainly been a big attraction for a T10 league.
Let’s take a look at five such names then on that note:
#1 Suryakumar Yadav
A no-brainer in so many ways given that he is arguably the best T20 batter on the planet. Given his ability to play the big shots without needing to get his eye in, Suryakumar Yadav is bound to be in heavy demand for a T10 tournament if the opportunity ever were to arise.
What stands out with his game – apart from obvious skill against both pace and spin – is his ability to manipulate the field at will.
Be it piercing the gaps or clearing the infield or the ropes in the most unconventional manner, not many can top Suryakumar on this front.
It would be quite fun to see him partake in a T10 contest and open the innings perhaps, wouldn’t it? Ten overs of SKY madness is not something we’d say no to after all!
#2 Varun Chakravarthy
Varun Chakravarthy has represented India in six T20s although they didn’t quite go to plan even as it coincided with the T20 World Cup in 2021. He has seen his stock rise again though in recent times having enjoyed a stellar IPL 2023 campaign for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Apart from his assortment of variations as a mystery spinner, Chakravarthy has shown incredible control over them. To be more specific, he bowls the ideal T20 length which cuts off scoring shots on a regular basis.
With the T10 format being a concise version of crash-bang-wallop in itself, this aspect becomes all the more pivotal. Chakravarthy would make an excellent fit for T10 cricket given his ability to bowl across phases and change the game on its head in the space of his two overs.
#3 Ravi Bishnoi
Another spinner in the defensive mold cut out for the shortest formats, Ravi Bishnoi ought to be playing more T20s for India. Like Chakravarthy, his strength lies in darting the ball into those defensive lengths to restrict the big scoring opportunities.
Bishnoi also brings agile fielding ability with him and in a low-error margin format such as T10, every run saved and catch held is bound to make a difference.
As far as spin options are concerned, he is certainly one who will be a handy choice to play this format in a utopian world.
#4 Yashasvi Jaiswal
He might not have debuted for India yet but Yashasvi Jaiswal remains an incredibly exciting talent. The swashbuckling left-handed opener can play shots all around the ground and from the word go, often not believing in the meaning of sighters.
A 13-ball half-century in IPL 2023 pretty much tells you all you need to know about what this precocious talent from Mumbai is made of. He has the potential to turn into a bona fide match-winner in time to come across formats and the sky is the limit as far as his ceiling is concerned.
Having a left-hander in the batting lineup is an advantage in terms of variety to counter matchups as well as accessing a potentially shorter leg-side boundary. If he’s a batter of Jaiswal’s caliber, he ought to be a hot commodity in the T10 market if he were to play the format.
#5 Jasprit Bumrah
Much like Suryakumar, this shouldn’t come as a surprise either. In a high-scoring format, you need to have bowlers who can take the pitch out of the equation and fire yorkers at will while also using his change-ups to great effect.
You think of complete fast bowlers in the sport today and Jasprit Bumrah is certainly right up there. He might be on the road to recovery from a back stress fracture but his skill and pedigree is simply unparalleled.
If there’s a bowler you need to break the game open with a wicket or keep the batters quiet to force an error at the other end, very few can do it better than Bumrah. He ought to be one of the first-choice picks to that end if active Indian cricketers could ever take part in a T10 league.
Who among these Indian stars would be your first-choice pick in a T10 lineup? Have your say in the comments section below!
Source : Sportskeeda
