Team India in action© BCCI
A new avatar of Team India was seen during the recently-concluded two-match Test series against Bangladesh. Under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma and the guidance of the batting great Gautam Gambhir, India comfortably thrashed Bangladesh 2-0 and claimed and a memorable clean sweep. In the first match in Chennai, the hosts registered a victory by 280 runs with all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin bagging the Man of the Match award. However, the second Test grabbed everyone's attention as India managed to claim a winning result, despite getting only three days of play.
The second Test in Kanpur was hit by rain and Day 2 and 3 were abandoned without a ball. However, Rohit Sharma and co switched on their attacking mode and won the game by seven wickets on Day 5.
This series will be memorable for Ashwin's contribution, who also became the Player of the Series. In the first match, Ashwin scored a marvelous century and also took five wickets. Recently, former BCCI selector Jatin Paranjpe hailed Ashwin by comparing his performance with a thrilling novel.
"Ashwin's best three to five years are in front of him. Watching him bat and bowl is exactly like reading a thriller novel. You are holding your breathe and eagerly waiting for the next ball just like you wait to read the next page of a book," Jatin Paranjpe, who is the head of selection of the Indian Street Premier League, told NDTV.
Paranjpe further stated that India's performance in the Kanpur Test is "just the trailer" of the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia.
"I think Ashwin is in tremendous form and what happened with Team India in that Kanpur Test is just trailer about what is going to happen in Australia," he added.
On being asked to choose his favourite player from the current Indian team, Paranjpe opted for the out-of-favour batter Prithvi Shaw.
"My favourite player from the Indian cricket team, being a left-hander, I am a bit partial towards the left-handed batters. So, I have two current favourites- one is Yashasvi Jaiswal and the other one is Rishabh Pant. But out of the current lot, one guy who is my favourite but not in the Indian team is Prithvi Shaw," said Paranjpe.
"I think he is just so talented like poetry in motion, both sides of the pitch. Apart from his talent, I love his intent of going after the bowlers. This same intent can be seen in Jaiswal and Pant, so I like those kind of player," he added.
ISPL Season 2 is set to kick off on January 26 till February 9 next year, promising an exhilarating showcase of talent and entertainment across the cricketing landscape.