After crashing out of the Asia Cup 2022 in an embarrassing fashion all Indian eyes are set on the upcoming 20-20 World Cup. Now it has become even more so important that India does well in the world event and thwart all criticism around their performance.
With the 15-member team announcement still days away, let’s predict the players who could be chosen to travel to Australia later this year.
Batters
There were questions being asked of the Indian top order batting prior to the Asia Cup 2022. With Virat Kohli coming back to form and Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul also coming up with half-century innings, it is now the middle order that has come under the scanner.
The top order of Rohit, Rahul and Kohli is certain for the World Cup. Suryakumar Yadav is currently the highest-ranked Indian batter and he would be a sure shot for the squad. Rishabh Pant did not have a good Asia Cup but his past exploits in Australia speak in favour of his selection. Dinesh Karthik was dropped from games against Pakistan and Sri Lanka and it prove to be massively detrimental to India’s performance as it struggled to get runs in the final five overs. The team would not make that error again.
All-rounders
Ravindra Jadeja’s absence would be a huge miss for the team. Axar Patel however is a perfectly able replacement for the left-hand allrounder. Hardik Pandya’s sensational run ended at the Asia Cup 2022 but he has done enough in the past couple of months to be a certainty for the World Cup. Having taken 23 wickets in 16 innings for the national side Harshal Patel poses a strong case for his inclusion. He has made 1081 runs in domestic 20-20 matches with the highest score of 82, something that would come in handy in tricky Australian conditions.
Deepak Hooda did not continue the form that he showed against Ireland a couple of months ago but the selectors could show belief in the batting allrounder and pick him for the World Cup.
Bowlers
Jasprit Bumrah who missed the Asia Cup 2022 with a back injury would be the first name on the team sheet. Bhuvneswar Kumar ended the Asia Cup campaign as the highest wicket-taker (11 in 5) and would also be included in the 15-member squad.
Yuzvendra Chahal did not have a good Asia Cup as he could only take four wickets in four matches, but the right-arm leg spinner has been an integral part of the Indian team in the past and selectors would hope he rediscovers his trickery. Ravi Ashwin was included in the T20I squad after eight months. He however only got one match to play and took one wicket. Ashwin could be taken as an extra bowling all-rounder to Australia.
Arshdeep Singh was trolled for dropping an important catch against Pakistan in the Super Four that somewhat overshadowed his good performance in the continental tournament. He took just five wickets but was very economical with the ball and performed immensely well in the last over-crunch situations.
India’s Probable 15 member squad for the 20-20 World Cup:
Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Deepak Hooda, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh
