Top 5 all-rounders who can replace Ravindra Jadeja in the Indian team

With the rise of the T20 format, modern cricket has witnessed innovative and beastly power-hitting. What India seems to lack is a maverick genius that almost every other top cricket team is capable of boasting of, someone who is in the team mainly for his big-hitting, someone who has been given the proverbial license to kill and can hit every ball without worrying about getting out.

Think of a Glenn Maxwell or an AB de Villiers or a Brendon McCullum. Think of the eccentric scoops and reverse slog-sweeps. Pre-meditated changes of stance at the last minute and the disdain with which they treat the cricket ball can nonchalantly cast a bowler even of the calibre of Dale Steyn away on the far-away shores of ignominy. And the damage caused to the bowlers' psyche is long-standing as the short breezy innings they play very often makes a considerable impact on the match.

M.S. Dhoni, the man who once symbolised India's fearless brand of cricket, is now more of a calming influence. Without any good finisher to follow after him, every time Dhoni comes in early, it means he has to graft and build the innings only leaving him a few overs to explode at the end. Dhoni is unable to play freely now as he has to shoulder more responsibility. The awareness that there is no other formidable batsman to follow after him intensifies the pressure on him.

One of the main letdowns, therefore, has been the poor form of Ravindra Jadeja. Dhoni has repeated time and again that Jadeja makes the cut because of his ability to fill in as an all-rounder. But Jadeja's performances with the bat or the ball has been nothing noteworthy of late.

With some exciting young talent on the horizon, it is high time India looked for a more consistent all-rounder who can bowl his quota of overs and deliver a few lusty blows. This will also take the added pressure off Dhoni and help him play more freely. Here are a few all-rounders who can possibly replace Jadeja.

Chennai Super Kings’ Pawan Negi

Pawan Negi

An economical slow left-arm bowler and a more than capable lower order batsman, Negi is considered by many to be the most capable all-rounder in the making who can replace Jadeja in the shorter format of the game.

Negi was first scouted by Delhi Daredevils for his performances at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Twenty20 competition. Negi was bought by CSK for the 2015 edition of the IPL and though he got very few chances to play, he impressed one and all. He has bowled economically with a tight line and length, picking up crucial wickets at times. He was also backed by his skipper MS Dhoni to bowl the first over against Kings XI Punjab.

Negi said, "In the match against Kings XI Punjab, where I was bowling the first over of the game, I felt the pressure because I had never bowled with the new ball before. So Dhoni asked me to bowl like I would in the middle overs and not worry about having just two fielders outside the circle. His best advice was to ask me not to experiment with my lines and lengths. I followed it and finished the game with the Man of the Match."

He spun a web around the KKR batsmen picking up 5 for 22 in the 2014 CLT20 final and helped CSK clinch the title. As a batsman, Negi can surely pack a punch and was named 'the pocket-sized powerhouse' for his big-hitting during the current edition of the IPL. Negi played many crucial knocks and was even sent in before the likes of Du Plessis, Bravo and Jadeja at times to up the scoring rate.

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Axar Patel

Axar Patel got his first IPL contract for the 2013 edition with the Mumbai Indians but spent the entire season warming the bench. But he had a brilliant domestic season after that. He played seven matches for Gujarat in the 2013-14 Ranji Trophy where he scored 369 runs at an impressive average of 46.12 and picked up 29 wickets becoming his side's third highest wicket-taker. He also made a brilliant contribution in the India U-23 team becoming the champions in the ACC Emerging Teams Cup in 2013, picking up four wickets against the UAE in the semi-final.

He was ultimately roped in for IPL 7 by the Kings XI Punjab for his good performances in the domestic circuit. Patel went on to become one of the star performers of the season scoring crucial runs and picking up 7 wickets for which he won the Emerging Player of the Year award. His attitude and temperament also highly impressed his skipper, George Bailey who was effusive in his praise for him.

He made it to the Indian squad for the tour of Bangladesh. He played in all the five matches against Sri Lanka at home in 2014 picking up 11 wickets. He was also a part of the 15-man squad for the 2015 World Cup. He is considered to be the most promising slow left-arm bowler who can be successful for India at the top level for years to come. Should the axe fall on Jadeja anytime soon, Patel is considered to be the hot favourite to fill in his shoes.

Mumbai Indians’ Hardik Pandya with Harbhajan Singh

Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya grabbed eyeballs with his 31-ball 61 against the Kolkata Knight Ridders in the current edition of the IPL. The innings saw some clean power-hitting with Pandya lofting Sunil Narine for a massive six over long on and plundering 17 runs of Andre Russell of the penultimate over as Kieron Pollard stood transfixed with admiration at the non-strikers' end.

Bought at his base price of 10 lakhs by the Mumbai Indians, Pandya has, many times during IPL 8, stolen the thunder of his more illustrious batting colleagues like Kieron Pollard and Rohit Sharma. Speaking to IPLT20.com about his 31-ball 61, Pandya said: This knock was very special for me. I had a word with Ricky (Ponting) and (Kieron) Pollard before I started my innings and they told me to just take my time because I can make up later in the innings."

Against CSK at Chepauk, Pandya had already gone berserk smashing Negi for three massive sixes in the 19th over going on to score 21 off 8 deliveries which earned him the man of the match award. In an interview to the IPL website, Pointing confessed that he was much impressed with the youngster's batting prowess:

"That kid [Pandya] is fearless and has lots of very good skills. We haven’t seen his bowling much yet but it is particularly good. We saw some of his hitting prowess tonight and even in the game against RCB where he took 16-odd in the last over. He is going to be a very good cricketer going forward and is someone I am excited to continue to work with."

Though grossly under-bowled in the IPL so far, Pandya is a no-nonsense bowler who can do the job well when required. A graduate of the Kiran More International Cricket Academy, Pandya was once asked to roll his arm over for his team as they were one fast bowler short and he came away with an impressive tally of 7 wickets. His genius had been first spotted by the then Mumbai Indians coach John Wright in a West Zone match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last year.

The emerging Mumbai Indians young star who had once had to survive entire days on the cricket field on a meal of Maggi, looks like the most complete batsman among all the emerging bowling all-rounders in India at present. Known for his penchant for hitting the ball hard, he left many including Akash Chopra amazed with his ability to hit the sixes 'without coming out of the crease'.

The hard-hitting all-rounder who has earned the admiration of cricketing stalwarts like Ricky Pointing and Kiran More is unanimously considered to be one for the future. With India in need of a hard-hitting all-rounder who can bat down the order, many believe that it is just a matter of time before Pandya makes his debut for the national team.

Rajasthan Royals’ Deepak Hooda

Deepak Hooda

A key performer for the U-19 side, the Haryana-born power-hitter who plies his trade for Baroda at the domestic level first came into the limelight with his match-winning 25-ball 54 against the Delhi Daredevils in the current edition of the IPL.

Hooda who impressed one and all with his clean hitting during the current edition of the IPL has confessed that Kevin Pietersen is his role model.

"Kevin Pietersen is my inspiration when it comes to batting because he also is an attacking batsman and loves to play big shots. My role in the team is also to play big shots and score quickly whenever the situation arises like I have done in a few games this season. I also practise my big shots in the nets."

Hooda who did not play a single match for the Royals in the 2014 edition of the IPL has emphasised on the importance it being a stiff but fruitful learning curve for him under the mentorship of the likes of Dravid and Upton.

"Last season I didn't get to play a single match but I used to speak to the coaches and support staff on how to develop my game. But since last season, I was mentally prepared and was waiting for the opportunity that would come my way. You learn a lot from someone like Rahul Dravid. I have spoken to him on things like how to bat in certain situations, how to handle pressure situations and lot of other things related to my batting. I always love to go up to him and have a chat about batting. I also discuss a lot with Paddy Upton. Captain Shane Watson constantly inspires me and tells me to keep playing my shots. Even when I am not doing well, the captain and coaches come and motivate me so I am loving being part of the Rajasthan Royals where I am learning a lot."

Hooda who offered the late thrust in the batting order and won Rajasthan Royals quite a few matches with the bat this season, is also a more than capable off-break bowler. In the opening match of the ICC CWC 2014, he bowled his team for victory claiming 5 for 41. Though he was given very few opportunities to bowl by the Royals in the IPL, he was always quick to shoulder the responsibility and come away with economical figures.

With the ICC World T20 around the corner, Hooda definitely deserves a look in for his brilliant power-hitting down the order.

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Rishi Dhawan

Rishi Dhawan had a brilliant 2013-14 Ranji Trophy season scoring 435 runs and claiming 49 wickets, which made him the highest wicket-taker in that season. Though he lost out to Parvez Rasool for the Lala Amarnath best all-rounder's award, he was honoured with the Madhavrao Scindia Award for his achievement. This inspired King XI Punjab to buy him in 2014 for a sum of 3 crores which made him the second most expensive uncapped player in the IPL after Karn Sharma.

Made captain of the Himachal Pradesh at the young age of 24, Rishi Dhawan is an accurate bowler who bowls an accurate length and also swings the ball. He had started his career as an opening batsman and scored 338 runs in the Cooch Behar U-19 trophy on his way to being named BCCI U-19 Cricketer of the Year in 2008.

Representing India A in a match against Australia A, Dhawan had scored a match-winning 56 not out stitching together an impressive partnership with Axar Patel. In IPL 2014, Dhawan took 13 wickets in 13 matches with an impressive economy of 7.71. He also played many crucial knocks for his franchise and was considered by many to be an automatic choice for the number seven slot for India in the World Cup because of his ability to swing the ball.

He was, however, a surprise exclusion from the list of 30 probables for the World Cup as the selectors favoured Stuart Binny ahead of him. More surprising was the fact that the selectors chose seven spinners and left out Rishi Dhawan who could have been the perfect bowling all-rounder on the fast, seaming wickets in Australia and New Zealand.

His rather unexpected exclusion from the squad seems to have left Dhawan demoralised and that could have led to his dip in form in the current edition of the IPL. Dhawan failed to make a mark in the few opportunities he got and the pace trio of Sandeep Sharma, Anureet Singh and Mitchell Johnson was often favoured ahead of him.

His abysmal form with the bat compounded his problems which Dhawan was quick to recognise: "If you see, I play as an allrounder. I need to score runs if I've to graduate," he tells Wisden India. "I don't think I've left any stone unturned when it comes to getting wickets, but I need to improve on my batting. I'm trying to work on my batting."

The lanky all-rounder who boasts of a career-best of 7-93 on a placid wicket against Tripura at the domestic level, is however optimistic of turning things around thanks to the advice he is getting from the international stars and his coach.

"One of the things that helped me," he says, "is that they are always open to interactions. They keep telling me my mistakes in the net sessions or during the match. Sanjay Bangar sir has helped me a lot. Spending two months with him helped me understand my game in a better way. Whatever I've learnt from him, I want to carry that forward now."

We sincerely hope that Rishi Dhawan does turn things around pretty fast because he can be the fast bowling all-rounder India have been long searching for ever since Irfan Pathan went out of favour.