The hunt for India's next Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev once said,“All-rounders are not made in heaven, but it is the hard work of an individual, which makes him a master of both bat and ball.”

On the look-out for the next Kapil Dev

Indian cricket has been fortunate to have produced great all-rounders in the past, such as the legendary Vinoo Mankad, Polly Umrigar, Dattu Phadkar, Salim Durrani, Kapil Dev, Ravi Shastri and Manoj Prabhakar. But the present gloomy situation of the Indian team is due to the absence of a genuine all-rounder. The hunt for a genuine (fast-bowling) all-rounder is on, keeping in mind the 2015 World Cup, which will be hosted by Australia on the fast and bouncy pitches, where the fast bowlers are bound to have a ball.

The dearth of a genuine all-rounder in the Indian team is no secret. For more than two decades now, an all-rounder has eluded the Indians. After the departure of Kapil Dev, there was a drought for a long time, as Robin Singh was more of a part-time bowler and hence, the need was always felt for a fifth bowler.

Though India has always been blessed with good part-timers such as Sachin, Sehwag, Ganguly, Yuvraj, Raina, Kohli and Rohit, at some point, the consistency is always lacking. Ajit Agarkar was seen as someone who had the potential to fill that void, but his consistency with the bat was not the same as with the ball.

The desperation to find an all-rounder in Indian cricket led to the destruction of Irfan Pathan, the bowler. Pathan, at the time, was considered the number one fast-bowling all-rounder in Indian cricket. But in lieu of making him an all-rounder, too much emphasis was given to his batting, which eventually led to depletion in his bowling skills.

The new ODI rules allow only four fielders outside the 30-yard circle, which makes it awfully tough for the part-timers to control the flow of runs. Yuvraj Singh, who has been one of the best ODI bowlers for the last few years, is now struggling to adjust with the new field restrictions. It is absolutely not justified to depend on part-timers to deliver consistently and bowl 10 overs.

If a genuine all-rounder is added in the squad, the balance of the team will be a lot better, and we wouldn’t have to overly depend on the part-timers to deliver more than their potential. If five bowlers are played then the pressure mounts on the top-order batsmen to score the runs, and with a batsman short, the lower order contributions prove to be more than vital while chasing.

Options with the selectors though are limited, but there are a few who do promise a lot and should be awarded with the opportunity.

Spinning all-rounders:

Ravindra Jadeja is the front runner for the all-rounders spot as of now. Being a left arm slow bowler he has this uncanny ability to turn the ball away from right handers just a bit without flighting the ball much. He is also known for playing marathon innings in the domestic circuit. He is the first ever player to have scored three first class triple centuries for India. In short, a complete package, and has all the qualities of an all-rounder, but for the international scenario, he still needs to be groomed.

It’s high time Jadeja made the spot his own

R. Ashwin has shown a lot of promise with the bat lately. His Test average is close to 46, which is much better than M.S. Dhoni’s 38 and Yuvraj Singh’s 34. But the team management must use him judicially, as the same that happened with Irfan shouldn’t happen here too.

Yusuf Pathan has the tremendous ability to change the game single handedly, but he lacks consistency that an all-rounder cannot afford.

Then there are players like Piyush Chawla and Amit Mishra, who are decent with the bat but cannot be considered as all-rounders due to lack of consistency. They are as good as decent tail enders who can frustrate the opponents bowlers.

Fast bowling all-rounders:

Stuart Binny has been in tremendous form for two straight seasons with both bat and ball. An attacking middle-order batsman and a medium pace bowler who has a thinking brain. He averages 36 with the bat and 29 with the ball. Looking at a team which is in a dire state, Binny could be more than useful, keeping in mind that the 2015 World Cup is in Australia.

Abhishek Nayar is one of the most consistent middle-order batsmen in the domestic circuit. He averages a more than healthy 57 with the bat and 30 with the ball in first-class cricket. He was given a brief stint in the Indian team in 2009, but did not have enough opportunities to prove himself. But now again keeping in mind that the World Cup is in Australia, Abhishek Nayar would be apt for India’s vacant spot of an all-rounder.

Rishi Dhawan though, is not a big name as of now, but since his debut in first class cricket for Himachal Pradesh in 2009 as a 19-year-old, he has been their most consistent performer with both bat and ball. He averages 42 with the bat and 25 with the ball. He bowls at a good speed and is a new ball swing bowler. He is definitely one for the future.

These three are the top suited candidates for the all-rounder’s seat. In order to create a balanced side, the selectors have to give these players a chance and give India what they are striving for – a fast bowling all-rounder.