There is a strange quirk in cricket when every now and then, a specific group of players emerge around the same time and often jostle for one or two spots at the highest levels. Inevitably, some miss out or have to wait for their turn.
A few years back, that was the case with wicketkeepers in India. Highly talented glovesmen had to spend the best part of a decade carrying drinks as MS Dhoni was the all-format leader and keeper in the national team.
A similar situation is now emerging in India’s T20 cricket. While other teams have to search far and wide for truly destructive top order batters, India have lined up a handful of them. Four, in fact. All four are young, open the innings and bat left handed.
The most famous among them is Abhishek Sharma – the No1 T20 batter and one of the stars of the famous win in this year’s World Cup final against New Zealand.
Yashasvi Jaiswal has inexplicably fallen down the pecking order despite being one of the few batters to command his place in all formats of the game. But at 24, he has age on his side so should find himself back in the mix soon.
Then there is the teen prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi. After a breakthrough IPL season last term, the 14-year-old has continued his record-breaking form in all age group levels and looks set to earn his debut India cap some time this year.
Also in the group of talented left-handed opening batters is Priyansh Arya. The 24-year-old Delhi batter first grabbed headlines in 2024 when he hit six sixes in an over during the Delhi Premier League T20 tournament. Hitting six sixes in as many balls is guaranteed to catch the eye of IPL franchises. A few months later, Punjab Kings snapped him up during the player auction.
While Suryavanshi hogged the limelight in the IPL last year – which is understandable since he is right in the middle of his teenage years – Arya held his own as well.
He did that by smashing a sublime century against MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings. In that match, Punjab’s entire top order got out for single digits. But Arya stood tall, cracking 103 from 42 balls with nine sixes and seven fours. When he got out, the score was 154-6. His team finished on 219 and ended up winning by 18 runs.
“I remember every ball, every six and the boundary I hit to reach the century. It was the most memorable moment for me,” Arya told The National last month when the Punjab team were stationed in Abu Dhabi for a training camp ahead of the IPL.
Punjab has created a really potent core of local players and Arya is right in the middle of it. The team made it all the way to the final, where they lost by six runs to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Arya made 24 off 19 in the title match.
Despite the disappointment, Arya will carry happy memories from the season into the new campaign when the IPL kicks off next week. Top of which would be the century he scored in front of Dhoni.
And as is customary for all young players looking to make a mark at the highest level, Arya sought the wisdom of Dhoni once the game was over. The legendary keeper urged the young batter to brace for what is generally the defining phase for any budding player – the second season.
“I could not speak to Dhoni sir after that match as I received a few awards and did not get the time. But in the next game, I went to speak to Dhoni sir. We spoke mainly about what I need to do for next year (2026) as teams will be better prepared for me,” Arya said.
Arya has received input from another icon of the game and contemporary of Dhoni. Last year, the young batter had a brief session with World Cup winner Yuvraj Singh, who has made a mark as mentor of a few young batters across north India, the most famous being Abhishek.
It’s no surprise that Arya draws inspiration from the exploits of his fellow swashbuckling left-handed openers.
“I love the batting of Vaibhav, Abhishek and Yashasvi. I especially love the batting of Abhishek because he bats fearlessly from first ball and always shows intent,” he said.
Arya has graduated to the higher levels of Indian cricket, representing India A during warm-up matches for the recent T20 World Cup.
Naturally, there is talk of a possible spot in the Indian national team setup. Arya arguably has better technique than Abhishek and Suryavanshi, and has come up through the cut-throat world of Delhi cricket which has given India some of its most resilient cricketers. However, the young batter is only focused on the IPL.
"I try to stay in the present," he said. "If my thoughts go towards the Indian team, it will bring added pressure. I like to think about where I am right now."
