India’s T20 WC Squad: A lot of Team India regulars have been missing from the South Africa series. The team with the first-choice players is on their way to England. It will take the team to wait until the Asia cup to field its first choice playing XI. The IPL 2022 also opened up new options for team management.
We Look At The Department-Wise Breakdown For The Squad:
#1 Openers
The captain, Rohit Sharma is one of the world’s leading all-format openers. KL Rahul, the vice-captain is the other frontline opener. These are the only two current Indian batters who have multiple T20I hundreds. Ishan Kishan who had a fantastic series against South Africa is the backup opener.
Ruturaj Gaikwad who got a chance to play all the five T20Is against SA is the fourth opener in the pecking order. Prithvi Shaw remains the perennial X-factor but a complete out-of-the-box choice for now. Left-hander Shikhar Dhawan will be an interesting choice considering he has vast experience of playing in Australia.
Certainties: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (Wicketkeeper)
Backups: Ishan Kishan (Wicketkeeper), Ruturaj Gaikwad
X-factor options: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan
#2 Middle-order
Virat Kohli despite his poor run of form continues to be India’s best bet at number 3. Suryakumar Yadav has shown enough class and temperament to start at number 4. Shreyas Iyer is his closest competitor but his game against pace remains a reason to worry. Rishabh Pant has had a middling T20I career so far. He has opted to bat at number 4 but not with great results. But his match-winning ability is not lost on anyone.
The alternative options in Rahul Tripathi and Sanju Samson make for interesting selection headaches. Both these players have the rare ability to strike from ball one. For a team whose batsmen, especially at the top are notorious for starting slow, these two carry a separate air about them.
Certainties: Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (Wicketkeeper)
Backups: Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Rahul Tripathi
X-factor options: Rajat Patidar, Tilak Varma
#3 Finishers
This is one area where India fares better than most nations on any given day provided the top-order sets up the base. Hardik Pandya is the designated finisher who came of age in IPL 2022. Dinesh Karthik who had a dream season too has made a stirring comeback. Ravindra Jadeja completes the triumvirate of finishers for India. It won’t be a surprise if they occupy numbers 5, 6, and 7 positions. Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur will be able backups to this trio.
Certainties: Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik (Wicketkeeper)
Backups: Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Venkatesh Iyer
X-factor options: Rahul Tewatia, Krunal Pandya
#4 Spinners
Yuzvendra Chahal is the frontrunner to be the lone specialist spinner in the lineup. Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, and Ravichandran Ashwin are the other spinners in the fray. Washington Sundar is someone in whom the team has invested a lot. He too will be in the race for a spinner’s spot. India was let down with the selection of Rahul Chahar and Varun Chakravarthy in the last T20 World Cup. The team will be keen this time to play a quality spinner in the XI.
Certainties: Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav
Backups: Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Ravichandran Ashwin
#5 Pace bowlers
There is no dearth of options for the team in this department. Jasprit Bumrah is the world’s leading limited-overs bowler. He will spearhead the pace attack down under. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami, and Harshal Patel will be a definite shoo-in along with Bumrah. Deepak Chahar if he manages to stay fit will add much-needed impetus lower down the order. The likes of Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammad Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, and Umran Malik will be quality backup options.
Certainties: Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami, Harshal Patel
Backups: Deepak Chahar, Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna
X-factor options: Mohammad Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Mohsin Khan
India’s T20 WC Squad: India has a pool of 37 players to pick from. It has been 15 years since they lifted the T20 World Cup. It will be a great test of character and temperament for the team to repeat the feat this year!
