Keeping alive race for spot behind stumps

CHENNAI: Though this edition of the IPL is still more than a month away from its grand finale, the event already seems to have regurgitated a particular trend.

All the men who could be looked upon to plug the MS Dhoni- shaped hole that’s bound to eventually appear behind the stumps, after the 2019 World Cup, have ratcheted up stellar performances in this edition. That good IPL outings can well shore up the shorter-format curriculum vitae of aspiring India players is a well-known fact. That India have shown the willingness to look beyond Dhoni for donning the gloves was another fact that surfaced during the Nidahas Trophy in Sri Lanka this March.

The T20I series saw the Chennai Super Kings skipper not stand behind the stumps in limited-over formats for the first time in two years and seven-odd months. A simple one-plus-one of these two details is enough to arrive at the notion that the form which Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Dinesh Karthik — and even KL Rahul — are exuding may serve as a domino for setting in motion a path towards the role of India’s wicketkeeper. The IPL nodded in affirmative about the value of stumpers, if the `46.4 crore shelled out for the services of these five is anything to go by.

“IPL always gives players to India for shorter formats, especially T20s. All these guys are doing well at the moment. It might turn out to be a pleasant headache for selectors,” remarked former India batsman and Mumbai Indians coach Lalchand Rajput. From an IPL context, 2017 was the year of the bowler (Mohammed Siraj, Basil Thampi, Jaydev Unadkat, Washington Sundar), with all the aforementioned keepers having a below-par time, especially with the willow.

Fast forward to this edition, and these stumpers already seem to have rectified their lukewarm returns from last year. From two wicketkeeper appearances in the 2017 top-10 of run-getters, the number has doubled this year. Though Jos Buttler is the man with the gloves for Rajasthan Royals, Sanju has aggregated nearly two-thirds of his last year’s tally in less than half the number of innings. Pant has done the same in even lesser outings. Rahul’s fastest IPL fifty has already become the toast of the town.

Karthik and Kishan don’t have as many runs, but they’ve been pivotal with the willow, their adroitness with gloves withstanding. If the Jharkhand teen has a mature fifty after copping a brutal blow on the eye in his previous outing to show as his moment of gumption, the Kolkata Knight Rider’s exhilarating stumping of Ajinkya Rahane last Wednesday is still one video that’s doing the rounds among Twitterati. “There have been recent indications that the back-up keeper does get a look-in if the series permits it. The form of all these guys is a good sign, and it augurs well for India,” said Rajput.

rahulravi@newindianexpress.com