Bengaluru: Virat Kohli sounded almost desolate while talking about his struggles against Fidel Edwards during his debut Test against the West Indies in 2011. It was not the beginning an ambitious young man desired.
Instead of glory, there was anxiety and confusion. He ended that nearly 20 minutes of conversation at a Kingston restaurant with a plain yet powerful message: “Lekin mein chhorunga nahi (I will not leave it)”.
He did not leave the fight, hitting peaks between 2014 and 2019 that not many modern day cricketers have climbed.
Runs and centuries flowed as the cricketing world marvelled at the transformation into a batting virtuoso who propelled India to some dizzying heights and memorable wins in Test cricket.
However, it’s also a blueprint for some of the young batters who have been tasked to helm the Indian cricket in the post-Kohli and Rohit Sharma era. Here’s a detailed glance at a few of them:
Shubman Gill
Among the ‘Next Generation’ stars, none holds more significance than Shubman Gill, potentially India’s premier batsman and Test skipper in the coming days.
Perhaps, it’s a coincidence but Gill finds himself in the same space as Kohli when he was at 25 — with a middling Test record.
The Punjab man has played 32 Tests for 1893 runs at an average of 35.
But Gill will now go to England where he has a modest record — 88 runs from three Tests at an average of 14.66. Can the Punjab man emulate his illustrious senior in turning around his fortunes at Old Blighty?
Yashasvi Jaiswal
Jaiswal is certain to open the innings in England and he has already done that job in the West Indies, South Africa, Australia and India. But the task will be different and tougher on his maiden trip to England. Jaiswal showed his technique and patience while notching up big runs in Australia and the West Indies at an average in excess of 44 and 80.
But as a batter who loves the ball coming onto his bat, Jaiswal will face a sterner challenge in late swing in England.
He will have to check his booming drives and rasping cuts, focusing more on leaves and selecting the right occasion to attack.
Dhruv Jurel
At 24, Jurel stands a good back-up option behind Rishabh Pant as the second wicket-keeper batter. He was impressive in the debut series against England but could not make much impact against Australia. Jurel has the requisite guts and skill level to be a long-term servant in Test cricket. He showed his prowess both in attack and defence while making two fifties against Australia.