The rapid growth of T20 cricket has transformed the profile of the modern Indian cricketer, with multi-skilled players increasingly becoming an essential part of team combinations, according to former India wicketkeeper-batter Nayan Mongia.
Speaking on The Great Indian Cricket Show on Doordarshan, Mongia pointed to the depth of India’s current wicketkeeper-batter pool as evidence of how dramatically player development has changed over the past decade.
He argued that players are no longer valued solely for their primary discipline, as the demands of multi-format cricket encourage cricketers to develop secondary skills that can strengthen their case for selection.
T20 cricket has changed India’s player pool
Mongia highlighted wicketkeeper-batters as one of the clearest examples of this evolution, pointing out that players such as Dhruv Jurel, Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson can now be considered for their batting alone.
“Who would have thought that you would get so many options in 10 years? That you have one ready, another ready, and a third ready,” Mongia said.
“Today, a wicketkeeper like Dhruv Jurel is playing as a batter. Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson can also play purely as batters. Who would have thought this revolution would come in a decade?”
For Mongia, the emergence of such depth is closely linked to the influence of T20 cricket, where players are increasingly encouraged to develop multiple aspects of their game.
“It is the gift of T20 cricket because everyone wants to keep, bat, and become an all-rounder,” he added.
The result is a wider pool of players capable of filling different roles, giving selectors greater flexibility when building teams across formats.
Why multi-dimensional players have an advantage
Mongia believes the shift extends beyond wicketkeeping and batting. In his view, players who can contribute in two disciplines have a greater chance of retaining their place because they offer teams more than one route to impact a match.
“If you don’t have two disciplines, it will be very difficult for you to stay in the team,” Mongia said.
The former India wicketkeeper also distinguished specialists and players who can contribute in multiple areas.
According to Mongia, a specialist bowler now has to operate at an exceptionally high level to guarantee his place, while a specialist batter faces a similarly high standard.
“Today’s world has reached a point where if you are purely a bowler, you have to be like Jasprit Bumrah, or if you want to be just a batter, you have to perform consistently like Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma,” he said.
He argues that multi-skilled players have an additional layer of security within a team because an off day in one discipline does not necessarily make them ineffective overall.
“But if you become an all-rounder, even if you have an off day in one discipline, you still hold your place in the team,” Mongia added.
The changing demands of modern Indian cricket
Mongia’s comments underline how the demands of contemporary cricket have altered the definition of a complete player.
With India competing across Tests, ODIs and T20Is, players who can provide additional options with either bat, ball or behind the stumps can offer selectors greater flexibility when constructing a playing XI.
The emergence of wicketkeeper-batters such as Jurel, Kishan and Samson illustrates that change particularly clearly. Rather than being selected only to fill the wicketkeeping role, they can increasingly be considered as batting options in their own right.
For Mongia, that represents one of the most significant changes brought about by the T20 era – and one that could continue to shape the composition of Indian teams for years to come.