Chances of Gurkeerat’s Inclusion in second ODI

“Gurkeerat Singh Mann is definitely somebody who is good, can play the big shots and can contribute a bit with his Off-spin bowling. It’s good to have Gurkeerat in the side.” – M.S. Dhoni.

Some modest cricket followers may know Gurkeerat from his spectacular ‘gravity defying’ catch of Ross Taylor near the boundary rope in IPL 2013. But he is more than a just a fielder. The 25-year-old has had a good run of form, of late. He scored 65 and took five for 29 for India A in the first unofficial ODI vs Bangladesh A. He also hit an unbeaten 87 against Australia A a month back. A first-class average of 43.50 and List A average of 47.55 to his credit, this Punjab-lad has certainly earned his stripes to be among the stalwarts. He currently plays for Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League.

The rise of Gurkeerat came up as . Looking at the need of the hour and the current playing norms, India needed to have more all-rounders.
About Gurkeerat’s selection, chairman of selectors Sandeep Patil said: “We have kept in mind his all-round abilities and his recent performances. We are happy that he has made the cut into the Indian team.”

Dhoni seems to be struggling with his “finishing title” form. He seems to be fumbling to sustain it. India needs a novel and exciting youngster to take his position. With spearhead R.Ashwin knocked out of the rest of series due to side strain, India loses out on another off-spinner. Stuart Binny has also not shown any noteworthy performance. Given opportunities but he couldn’t make the most out of them most of the times. Axar Patel is also a good all-rounder but even if he has been good with the ball in ODIs, the biggest concern remains over his batting ability. Batting at No.6 or 7, Patel’s batting needs to improve on a lot of levels if he is to remain in the side permanents.

Gurkeerat Singh Mann is a handy off-spinner and can contribute crucially in bowling with leggie, Amit Mishra and Harbhajan Singh, who is likely to be taken up for the coming ODI. Spinners prove devastating against the Proteas in the subcontinent. He can bat at 6 or 7 and has proven his position for a finisher. He provides more balance since he’s a batting all-rounder. India is having trouble finding a lower order finisher and Gurkeerat can be trained in good time to fill those shoes. With T20 World Cup just around the corner, international exposure to youngsters could prove to be gold.
Having said that one can only hope Gurkeerat, like always, will justify his selection into the national squad and prove that hardships and success go hand in hand.