Youth power: Signs of promise for India

Rinku, Jaiswal and Jitesh’s performances have been highlights so far as hosts seal T20I series against Australia

- SWAROOP SWAMINATHAN

DURING the pre-match conference of the game between India and New Zealand at the T20 World Cup in Nagpur in 2016, Virat Kohli had given an interesting insight into the psyche of a modern Indian cricketer. "Our youngsters also have anxiety in them but they have a lot more confidence compared to us (senior players) when we first came in," he had said inside one of the rooms at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium. "In this format, their preparation and mental set-up is very different from mine when I first came in. These guys have played IPL finals, performed in different conditions and have brought that confidence here."

He was speaking about the likes of Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah, who were making their tournament debuts at the ICC level. Since then, Pandya has gone on to become the premier white-ball allrounder while Bumrah is already a great.