Team India 2020 review: T Natarajan, D Padikkal lead list of breakout stars for the future

Indian cricket, much like every other leading cricketing nation, suffered the consequences of a pandemic-struck phase this year. While the contagious nature of the coronavirus disease continues to hamper several bilateral and multi-nation affairs, Indian cricket still managed to salvage quite a few shinning prospects for itself to carry its rich sporting heritage for years to come.

As the year nears its end, here is a look at five of India’s breakout stars for the future as part of our Team India 2020 review.

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Team India 2020 review: T Natarajan, Suryakumar Yadav among stars to watch out for

T Natarajan

T Natarajan dished out some unsullied yorkers in the recently-concluded Dream11 Indian Premier League 2020 (IPL 2020) season. Turning up for the David Warner-led Hyderabad side in only his second seasonal IPL outing, and first where he played all matches, the left-arm speedster collected 16 wickets while maintaining an economy rate of 8.02. His performance earned him his maiden Team India call-up as he donned the Men in Blue jersey for limited-overs in Australia. Remarkably, he bowled with his same trademark zip Down Under as previously seen across the high-scoring venues of UAE.

T Natarajan impresses with match-winning spell on debut Down Under, watch video

Suryakumar Yadav

Mumbai’s Suryakumar Yadav has been endorsed by many, including Harbhajan Singh, to take up the mantle of India’s middle-order batting mainstay for their future ODI and T20I projects. The right-handed batsman even terrorised bowlers with his 480-run tally en route to a yet another Dream11 IPL title victory for his franchise.

Despite being a veteran of India’s first-class and List A circuit, Suryakumar Yadav is yet to make his international debut. Although, several speculations within media, backed by BCCI President’s Sourav Ganguly’s recognition of the uncapped player indicates that he might well be selected for India’s upcoming home series against England.

IPL 2020 winners: Suryakumar Yadav lifts trophy with Mumbai teammates, watch video

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Devdutt Padikkal

In his maiden Dream11 IPL outing, Devdutt Padikkal opened the batting for the Bangalore franchise in the recently-concluded season. In 15 innings, he plundered 473 runs at an average of 31.53, stacking up five 50-plus scores in the process. Due to his masterclass batting sessions across the deserts of UAE, the prodigious left-handed opening batsman won the ‘Emerging Player of the Season’ award.

Devdutt Padikkal’s debut delight catapults Hyderabad, watch video

Varun Chakravarthy

Uncapped Indian cricketer Varun Chakravarthy played 13 Dream11 IPL matches for Kolkata this season to cap his first-ever full-fledged outing in India’s premier T20 tournament. A veteran for Tamil Nadu in the domestic circuit, Chakravarthy mercilessly tangled a web around his opponents through his leg-spin. The 29-year-old bagged 17 wickets for himself and even outperformed team’s senior spinner Sunil Narine. Here is a look at one of his match-winning spells for Kolkata this season, which also turned out to be a Dream11 IPL spell to remember for the ages.

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Mohammed Siraj

Mohammed Siraj may only be a handful of international T20Is old, but the speedster bowled with much grit and heat whenever his Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli handed him the ball in Dream11 IPL 2020 season. The right-arm pacer picked 11 wickets in the latest edition, including a match-winning 3-8 that sunk Kolkata. Interestingly, he maintained an impressive average (just 21.45) throughout the two-month event and his bowling audacity makes him one of the stars to look out for the future.

India vs Australia 2020

Among the aforementioned breakout stars, Mohammed Siraj is currently in Australia along with the rest of Team India’s drawcards. He is likely to make his Test debut with the upcoming India vs Australia 2020 Boxing Day Test match, after seasoned pacer Mohammed Shami sustained an untimely injury in the previous game. The second Test of the four-match series is scheduled to be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground between December 26 and 30.

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Image source: BCCI Twitter