Vijay Zol: One for the future

This appears to be the most favourable time for Indian cricket. Very rarely, had the situation been so pleasing that all the Indian teams – Team India, India ‘A’, Under-23 and Under-19 – were on the top of their game.

Of course, this is definitely a result of the path shown by none other than captain MS Dhoni and the BCCI. Indian cricket is finally giving preference to talented youngsters over underperforming seniors.

Vijay Zol of India bats during the ICC U-19 World Cup 2012 match vs. the West Indies at Tony Ireland Stadium on August 12, 2012 in Townsville, Australia. (Getty Images)

Though Dhoni has always displayed his faith in experienced cricketers – and said that the combination of the young and the experienced is essential – it is good to see that youngsters are coming up. But at the same time, seniors like Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir are also knocking on the door again.

Indian cricket has always had the problem of a weak bench. But now, with the origin of young and hard working players like Sanju Samson and Jalaj Srivastav, this trend seems to be changing.

Everyone across squads – senior or junior – will have to work hard and give consistent results in order to remain in the team. One such youngster has caught the eye.

Vijay Zol has the attention of one and all, owing to his consistent performances. The 18-year-old has tremendous footwork and times the ball remarkably well.

Zol is the latest batting sensation that belongs to the Jalana, Maharashtra, which has been the traditional hub of cricket. The left-handed middle-order left handed batsman was handed a contract by IPL side Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2012.

Zol came into the limelight when he scored 451 runs (unbeaten) during an Under-19 match for Maharashtra in December 2011. He took just 467 balls to notch up the mammoth score, which consisted of 53 boundaries and two sixes.

Zol was selected to represent the India Under-19 team and led the side in the Under-19 triangular series in Australia earlier this year.

Only yesterday, he scored a whopping 110 runs in just 153 balls while playing in a first class match against the touring New Zealand ‘A’ at Vishakhapatnam. The match ended in a draw, but interestingly, this was the only first class match he has played, resulting in an impressive average of 110.

The best part of Zol’s batting remains that he has shown remarkable skill against international class bowlers like Mark Gillespie and Doug Bracewell. His performance in the List A matches is also impressive. Out of seven matches played, he has been able to maintain an average of 36.

It is too early to predict anything, but the initial signals are very encouraging and it would not be surprising if he someday took over Virat Kohli role in the Indian middle-order.