The Indian team for the T20 World Cup 2021 has been announced. The selection of Ravichandran Ashwin comes as a pleasant surprise. Washington Sundar’s injury has meant Ashwin takes his place as the lone right-arm finger spinner in the squad. The wrist spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav have been left out. Here is T20 World Cup 2021 India Squad.
India going in with just 6 batsmen:
India have just selected 6 specialist batsmen in the squad of 15. Virat Kohli is most likely to open the batting along with Rohit Sharma. KL Rahul might be the reserve opener. Suryakumar Yadav is expected to bat in at number 3. Rishabh Pant is the first choice wicket-keeper while Ishan Kishan is the backup. It is interesting to note that India have left out Shikhar Dhawan from the mix. Prithvi Shaw too has been overlooked. Shreyas Iyer is on standby.
Pandya and Jadeja are the only 2 proven allrounders:
Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja are the only two proven allrounders in the 15. They will be expected to play crucial roles at numbers 5/6 and 7. Shardul Thakur whose stocks have risen rapidly has been nominated as standby. India will play both Pandya and Jadeja in all the matches.
5 spinners in the squad of 15:
The major talking point is the inclusion of 5 spinners in the squad of 15. India have selected 3 finger spinners in Ashwin, Jadeja, and Axar Patel. They have gone in with the wrist spin option of Rahul Chahar. The other notable inclusion is of mystery spinner, Varun Chakravarthy. Ashwin’s guile and big match experience has been finally awarded.
India going in with just 3 seamers:
India have named a 3 man pace attack for the tournament. Jasprit Bumrah is the undisputed leader of the bowling department. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammad Shami will complete the troika of bowlers. Mohammad Siraj is the notable exclusion from the squad. Deepak Chahar and as mentioned above, Shardul Thakur are the other standby options.
MS Dhoni returns as a mentor:
In what is arguably the biggest news of the day, Mahendra Singh Dhoni returns to the team as a mentor. His appointment as the team’s mentor has created a huge buzz in the cricketing world. Fans are now certain that India will finally win an ICC trophy!
T20 World Cup 2021 India Squad:
Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma (vc), KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohd Shami.
Standby players:
Shreyas Iyer, Shardul Thakur, and Deepak Chahar
Also read: Shastri And Dhoni Should Get On The Same Wavelength: Gavaskar