A tall lanky Pacer from West Bengal takes a 3-wicket haul and concedes less than 10 runs in just her 2nd international match, also takes a 3-wicket haul in multi-nations tournament finals. Can you guess which player/s we are talking about here?
And whom does it truly remind you of? Jhulan Goswami? Or the new young fast-bowling sensation Titas Sadhu? Either way, if you say any of these 2, you won’t be wrong. Both the players have managed to accomplish the above-mentioned feats.
In just 2 international matches, Titas Sadhu has managed to draw comparisons with none other than Indian legend Jhulan Goswami.
Having a player with the potential that Titas Sadhu possesses is the ultimate luxury. The type of discipline and raw pace Titas provides is genuinely incredible. With now Titas being in the scheme of things thanks to her incredible performances throughout the year, the Indian fast-bowling lineup is now finally looking complete.
At the age of 18, Titas Sadhu has proved she is a big match player 🔥 #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/0cqXcdmV1h
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) September 25, 2023
Each and every team dreams of having a world-class fast-bowling lineup, which even includes the bench strength and the reserves. Take Australia for example, they have the likes of Megan Schutt, Kim Garth, Ellyse Perry, Tahlia McGrath, and Darcie Brown on their roster. Not every one of them plays, but having those options is an absolute necessity. Take England for example, they have Kate Cross, Lauren Filer, Natalie Sciver-Brunt, Danielle Gibson, Alice Davidson-Richards, and the youngster Mahika Gaur. This bowling lineup has everything you need as a single unit, there’s raw pace, there’s discipline, there are some players who have the ability to move the ball both ways, you name it and they have it.
18 year old Titas Sadhu has single-handedly demolished the Sri Lankan lineup.
Future star of Indian cricket. 🔥🙌#CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/F4mBDCuWA4
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) September 25, 2023
Talking about the Indian fast bowling lineup, India has the likes of Renuka Singh Thakur, Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Amanjot Kaur, and Titas Sadhu. The problem with this bowling lineup is the experience. The average age of this roster is just 24 years, which is still pretty young compared to England’s 25 and Australia’s 26.
The retirement of fast-bowling legend Jhulan Goswami left a pretty big hole in India’s fast-bowling roster. Renuka Singh Thakur was earmarked as the successor for Jhulan, but the injuries haven’t been kind to her, as she last played a match for India in February 2023. But since Jhulan’s retirement, Renuka has taken 16 wickets from 18 innings at an economy rate of 6.59 in the shortest format of the game. In the same time period, Pooja Vastrakar has taken 14 wickets from 16 innings at an economy rate of 5.47.
With more games under the name, the Indian bowling lineup has the ability to become one of the best. What they require now is experience, and patience from the team management as well as the selectors. The introduction of Titas in the squad has further bolstered the squad.
Titas’ spell of 4-1-6-3 in the finals of the Asian Games was a testimony to her talent. She has lots of years ahead of herself and certainly has the ability to replicate Jhulan Goswami’s success. Titas in her initial days was fortunate enough to share the dressing room with Jhulan during domestic tournaments. That experience has certainly paid off for Titas, as in the 2 finals Titas has featured this year, her returns are – 4-0-6-2 (U19 World Cup Final) and 4-1-6-3 (Asian Games Final). It seems she has a knack for stepping up during the clutch moments. It is an excellent ability to have!
It will be interesting to see how India’s young pace battery performs over the years. With a lot more matches lined up, including tournaments like the Women’s Premier League, the exposure these players will get is going to be enormous.
Do you think India’s pace battery will power India to lift a World Cup trophy in the next few years? Do let us know your answer on our socials!
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