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Stuart Binny — can the all-rounder be a trump card for India in ODIs?

Binny has a good domestic record, but needs to prove himself at the highest level.

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Stuart Binny opened the bowling for India aginst Sri Lanka © IANS
Stuart Binny opened the bowling for India against Sri Lanka © IANS

As the ICC World Cup 2015 draws nearer with each passing day, India are set to defend their title in Australia and New Zealand early next year. However, the team is still looking for a genuine pace-bowing all-rounder in the team. Without many such players in the frame, Stuart Binny is one who appears to have the potential to feature in the Indian squad. Ayush Gupta evaluates how he could potentially make a difference for in the One-Day International (ODI) side.

One-of the traditional problems with India has been a lack of quality all-rounders. Currently, they have Ravindra Jadeja as a permanent and genuine all-rounder in the team. Akshar Patel impressed by becoming the highest wicket-taker in the recently-concluded ODI series against Sri Lanka. A left-arm orthodox spinner, he is also a useful batsman, but is yet to shine with his bat for team India.

Another such all-rounder who was recently considered for the series was Stuart Binny. Owing to his consistent performance with both bat and ball in the domestic season of 2013-14 — where he claimed 14 wickets with an average of 32.64 and scored 443 runs with an average of 43.22 — he earned his maiden international call earlier this year for the ODI series in New Zealand. He didn’t do much in his first couple of appearances, but shot to instant fame in the ODI series against Bangladesh that followed.

His breakthrough moment came in the second ODI of the three-match series in Bangladesh when Binny claimed six for four in 4.4 overs, helping bowl Bangladesh out for 54 and helping India defend a 105-run total. He recently played the last two ODIs of the series against Sri Lanka, opening the bowling and claiming a total of three wickets from 16 overs at an economy rate of 5.18.

As for his performance in the domestic circuit this season, he has been quite impressive with the ball, especially during the knock-out stages of the Duleep Trophy. During the semi-finals of the tournament, he tore apart the East Zone batting line-up, claiming seven wickets in the match for just 47 runs.

Although he has a good track record in First-Class cricket, he still needs to prove himself at the Test level. However, he has done well in ODIs, and appears to have the potential to be an important and valuable player in the squad. Nevertheless, he still needs to be consistent as a bowler.

Although he can certainly bat — his 78-run innings on debut at Trent Bridge is proof enough of that — he has not yet managed to shine in the limited over format, with an unbeaten 25 being his highest score.

Overall, if he manages to bowl well in the upcoming triangular series Down Under — assuming he is selected — he could be a front-runner for the ODI all-rounder’s spot along with Akshar and Jadeja. He might even be able to find a spot in India’s World Cup squad.

(Ayush Gupta is a reporter at CricketCountry. A passionate supporter of Manchester United, he idolises Roger Federer)

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