The Indian team is riding on the crest of a wave at the moment. Since the beginning of 2016, Team India have played 24 bilateral series across all formats and have won 20, drew one and lost just three series.

They have also won nine consecutive Test series on the trot since August 2015 out of which three have been away from home. There are hardly any places up for grabs in the team at the moment with the sides in all three formats having a settled look.

Although the team looks solid, the selectors have done a fabulous job in strengthening the bench and identifying genuine talent. The national selectors along with skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri have shown some foresight and vision by picking Washington Sundar and Basil Thampi for the T20I series against Sri Lanka.

When selecting a player for the future, one needs to look at a variety of factors. The player should have talent, potential and the temperament to succeed at the international arena. He should also have the 'X' factor and flair as these kinds of players are more likely to repay the investment in them.

Washington Sundar

Sundar has already been earmarked as one for the future and is just 18 years of age. He is a right arm-off spinner and can come handy with the bat even though he hasn't played any eye catching knocks in List A and T20s. However, he has a highest score of 159 in First Class cricket which shows that he knows how to hold a bat and has the temperament to play big innings.

His forte is his bowling and while he is not a huge turner of the ball, he has already notched up some impressive stats in his short career. In the U-19 World Cup final against West Indies in February 2016, he bowled nine overs for just 18 runs.

He replaced Ravichandran Ashwin in the squad of the Rising Pune Supergiant in IPL 2017 and impressed with his calm demeanor. In the final against Mumbai Indians, he bowled his full quota of overs for just 13 runs and even opened the bowling.

Any youngster could have been forgiven for getting intimidated by the aura and reputations of the players he was up against.

However, Sundar showed that he belonged to the big stage and did his reputation no harm at all. Here are some of his career bowling stats in various tournaments and formats.

 
Event M Wkts Bowl Ave Bowl S/R E/R BBI
Ranji Trophy 2017-18 6 12 35.66 76.5 2.79 4/95
IPL 2017 11 8 23.12 22.5 6.16 3/16
FC 12 30 26.93 58 2.78 6/87
List A 9 7 37.14 56.5 3.93 2/20

 

What is striking is that while he has not bagged a bucketful of wickets he has been very miserly. Most experienced pros would be proud to have Economy rates of 3.93 and 6.16 in List A and T20s.

The only thing that is a cause for concern is that he failed the yo yo test initially, but finally passed it at the National Cricket Academy. Ashwin is 31 years of age and Sundar could be viewed as a long-term replacement for Ashwin.

Just sharing the dressing room with some Indian stalwarts will do him a world of good.

Basil Thampi

Thampi's selection is not so straightforward. He has not forced his way into the team due to the strength of his performances but has done so because of his pace. Most commentators say that all young fast bowlers should be blooded into international cricket when they have the pace, rather than waiting for them to fine tune their skills as they might lose their speed by the time they make their debut at the international level.

Thampi has genuine pace and has the ability to maintain it while varying his lengths. He is adept at bowling back of a length and also possesses a fine yorker and slower ball.

In July 2017, Australian legend Glenn McGrath singled out Thampi as India's brightest pace bowling prospect. That is tremendous praise coming from one of the all-time great fast bowlers.

During the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Thampi touched speeds in excess of 140 kilometers per hour. Even then a few eyebrows were raised when Thampi was picked up by the Gujarat Lions at the 2017 IPL auction for a price tag of 85 lakhs.

However, he justified the high price tag by winning the Emerging Player of the Season award at the end of the tournament. The two main things that stood out in his bowling was his consistency in bowling yorkers and the speed of his deliveries.

The table below gives the career bowling stats of Thampi in various formats and tournaments.

 
Event M Wkts Bowl Ave Bowl S/R E/R BBI
Ranji Trophy 2017-18 3 8 20.5 40 3.07 3/36
IPL 2017 12 11 38.59 24.36 9.49 3/29
First Class 16 28 37.07 65.9 3.37 6/87
List A 12 15 26.26 30.8 5.11 6/51
T20S 35 37 27.05 20.4 7.94 4/15

 

His figures in First Class cricket may not look that impressive but that is because he hasn't bowled many overs. He takes a wicket every 11 overs, which is not bad considering the fact that the wickets in India don't offer much assistance to the fast bowlers.

However, in the shorter formats of the game his Economy rate is very impressive and that coupled with his pace has earned him his maiden India call-up.

The Indian team's pace bowling department has never been stronger but if Thampi can impress in the T20 series against the Lankans, then he will add to India's pace bowling depth. He will also benefit by being under the tutelage of Bharat Arun and getting tips from Jasprit Bumrah.

Only time will tell whether the selectors have chosen wisely but they need to be commended for taking a punt.

The author tweets @ravivenkat007