Owing to the awkward angle that they create, left-arm pacers are always an asset that the captain would love to have. With the pitches getting flattered and batsmen becoming innovative and pro-active, left-arm pacers seem to have become a requisite in playing XI.
India was blessed to have some world-class left-arm pacers a decade ago. The likes of Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Irfan Pathan and RP Singh used to dominate the fast bowling department. There were times when the squad used to have up to three left-arm pacers present simultaneously. But since last few years, it seems as if the inflow of left-arm pacers has dried up. Even Bharat Arun, the bowling coach of Indian Cricket team has repeatedly expressed his concerns over the absence of a left-arm pacer in the Indian team.
With the 2019 ODI World Cup just around the corner, here the three left-arm pacers the Indian selectors might consider looking forward to.
#1. Kulwant Khejroliya
Kulwant Khejroliya made his first-class debut while playing for Delhi in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2017. He also got picked by Mumbai Indians in 2017. However, he didn’t get a chance to make his debut in IPL in that year. Kulwant Khejroliya made his IPL debut in 2018 for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Photo by: Faheem Hussain / IPL/ SPORTZPICS
Having played three matches in 2018 with RCB, Kulwant Khejroliya managed to take only 2 wickets in IPL-11. Kulwant Khejroliya has an impressive list A record behind him. In 13 matches he played, Kulwant Khejroliya managed to take 30 wickets at an average of 17.5 and an economy of 4.94.
#2. Barinder Sran
It was a training camp in Dubai where Sran managed to catch the attention of Rahul Dravid and subsequently bagged his first IPL contract for Rajasthan Royals. He made his international debut in Australia with just eight List A matches under his belt but failed to make a significant impact. Since 2016, Sran continued to have good exposure for Sunrisers Hyderabad. He managed to take 14 wickets in the 14 matches that he played for SRH. He subsequently got picked for Kings XI Punjab in 2018 auctions where he had an average outing (6 wickets in 4 matches).
Though not our-right quick, Sran’s ability to bowl accurately can prove to be very handy for a captain. Sran has got an impressive List A record. He managed to take 32 wickets in 20 matches he played with an average of 32.43 and an economy of 6.16.
#3. Jaydev Dipakbhai Unadkat
Making his debut way back in 2010, Jaydev Unadkut's career was kept on halt by stress injuries. He came back late with a strong 2017 IPL season making people take notice of his improvement. Owing to which he got picked by Rajasthan Royals in 2018 for 11.5 crores.
Unadkat’s accuracy and variations in limited overs cricket enabled him to fetch a permanent place in Indian T20 squad. He managed to pick 14 wickets in 10 matches he played for India. His vast experience and his ability to bowl exceptionally well in powerplay overs and death overs make him a natural choice for selectors.
