5 Left-arm pace options available for Team India ahead of T20 World Cup 2021

For a long period of time, India is in search of a competent left-arm seamer who can do wonders in the shortest format of the game. While India has a strong pace attack in the form of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the presence of a left-arm seamer in the line-up is a must as he can swing the ball both ways with control and pace.

Having a left-arm quick in the squad is a necessity in modern-day cricket. With the 2021 edition of the ICC T20 World Cup fast approaching, India would love to find a solution for this limitation in the current squad. Here are the 5 current left-arm pace options available for team India considering T20 World Cup 2021

1. Thangarasu Natarajan

The left-arm quick from Salem, Thangarasu Natarajan was a revelation in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020). Playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2020, Natarajan impressed with his ability of bowling pin-point toe-crushing yorkers in death and middle-overs and was a regular feature of SRH’s playing XI.

In 16 games, the 29-year-old picked 16 wickets at an economy rate of 8.02 and an average of 31.50. This earned Natarajan a call in the Indian squad for the highly-anticipated Australia tour of India and he made his debut on the big stage in the third ODI of the three-match series on December 2, 2020. The pacer named Marnus Labuschagne as his maiden international wicket and finished with the figures of 10-1-70-2.

Impressive performance in One-day meant that Natarajan was handed the ball in the shortest format of the game too. In two T20 Internationals, the Tamil Nadu-born picked 5 wickets while bowling at an economy of 6.25. He has emerged as the most economical pacer for India in the Australian series and is claiming a permanent spot for himself in the national team.

2. Arshdeep Singh

The left-arm fast-medium bowler from Madhya Pradesh, Arshdeep Singh has been impressive with the ball. The seamer had hogged all the limelight with his performance in the Punjab U23 team in CK Nayudu Trophy. He had surprised everyone with his pace and control with the new ball and had taken 8 wickets including a hat-trick against Rajasthan.

The 21-year-old hasn’t featured in many games in the domestic circuit. He made his debut in domestic cricket in 2019 and has featured in only 3 first-class matches and 10 List A fixtures taking 9 and 11 wickets respectively. However, he was picked by Kings XI Punjab for IPL 2019 and had named the wickets of Jos Buttler and Ajinkya Rahane in his maiden IPL outing against Rajasthan.

In IPL 2020, Arshdeep impressed who’s who of the cricket fraternity by 9 wickets in 8 games for KXIP at an economy rate of 8.77 an average of 24.22. His perfect execution of yorkers and wicket-taking ability ensures that the young rookie has a promising career.

3. Khaleel Ahmed

The left-arm pace bowler from Rajasthan, Khaleel Ahmed can be another suitable option for India in the 2021 T20I World Cup. Ahmed had bloomed into the world of cricket during the 2016 U19 World Cup and was subsequently picked by Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) in IPL.

Though he didn’t get a chance to feature in a single game, he improved his skills and added a lot of variations to his game by working with other players and support staff. This was followed by Ahmed having a fantastic season in domestic season in 2017-18 edition. After playing his first IPL game for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2018, the lanky left-arm quick made his much-awaited debut for India in September 2018.

Khaleel has till now featured in 11 ODIs and 14 T20I games for India scalping 15 and 13 wickets respectively. However, he has been in and out of the national team as the bowler has failed to bowl parsimonious spells. If given proper training and guidance, Khaleel Ahmed can emerge as a promising bowler for India in the shortest format of the game.

4. Jaydev Unadkat

The wiry left-arm pacer had burst into the scene in the international circuit after a phenomenal bowling display in the 2010 U19 World Cup. He was added to the Indian squad for a Test game against South Africa in December 2010 but the seamer failed to pick any wicket and was expensive with the ball. Thus, he was axed from the side but Udankat returned to domestic cricket and constantly worked on his pace and variations.

Though Jaydev had represented India in ODIs and T20Is in 2013 and 2016 respectively, he failed to impress the selectors and could never claim a permanent spot for himself. However, over the years the nippy left-arm pacer has risen through the ranks and has done a decent job in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

After many disappointing seasons in IPL, the Gujarat-born delivered a standout performance in IPL 2017 for now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiants. In 2017, Udankat impressed as a bowler who could swing the new ball and can be equally important in death. He was finally scalped by Rajasthan Royals for a jaw-dropping price in IPL 2018 and has been a regular feature of their playing XI since then.

5. Yarra Prithviraj

The left-arm quick Yarra Prithviraj can be a player to watch out for due to his ability to generate a lot of pace. The youngster has all the ingredients including the wicket-taking ability and different variations that make him a promising player of modern-day cricket. The lanky left-armer had a good first-class debut against Tamil Nadu at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

Exploiting his control and the left-arm angle at its optimum best, Prithviraj picked up a total of six wickets in the match, three across both innings. This was followed by Yarra making his T20 debut against Jharkhand in the 2018-19 edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He finished with the figures of 3.5-0-28-3 which helped Andhra win the match by 3 runs.

The seamer’s domestic records read 39 first-class wickets in 11 games along with 15 List A and 4 T20 wickets in 9 and 3 games respectively. Prithviraj got his breakthrough in IPL 2019 when he was picked by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The Andhra Pradesh-born had a dream debut as he bowled a tight and disciplined spell and picked the prized wicket of David Warner. Yarra Prithviraj didn’t get to feature in many games that season but can be a good choice for India in the long run if groomed properly.