Rajneesh Gurbani

Gurbani came through age-group cricket before reaching the Ranji Trophy fairly late, debuting in October 2016 when he was 23. That first season brought him two four-wicket hauls, but with India well stocked for fast bowlers at the time, it was not enough to put him in the selectors' thoughts. His results in limited-overs matches that year were modest.

The 2017/18 Ranji Trophy changed his standing. Gurbani claimed 39 wickets in six matches as Vidarbha went on to win the title, and he was the bowler his side turned to throughout the league phase. His most telling work came in the knockout rounds. He took 7 wickets against Kerala in the quarter-final, then 12 in a tense semi-final win over a strong Karnataka batting line-up. In the final he collected 8 wickets, among them a hat-trick in the first innings, and Vidarbha won on the fourth day.

Those performances have earned him attention as a possible candidate for the national side. Competition among seamers on the fringes is heavy, however, and his lack of an IPL contract is seen as a further hurdle to an early call-up.