The All-India Senior Selection Committee was due to meet on Monday and select the roster for the upcoming T20 World Championship to be played in Australia in October-November. Looking at how India fared in the Asian Cup, it would be interesting to see if some changes have been made to the squad or not. Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel are expected to be fit in time, so they would be in the squad straight away, but who they replace would be the bigger question.
Here’s what we think should be India’s ideal roster for the T20 World Cup:
When talking about batting, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul are definitely shot picks. Kohli’s form was the main concern heading into the Asian Cup, but he went on to record two fifties and a century, and was clearly the best hitter of the show from India’s point of view. Suryakumar Yadav is also a clear pick given the fearless approach he brings to the Indian side.
If anyone has any doubts about Suryakumar Yadav, all they have to do is look at his knockout against Hong Kong in the Asia Cup Group match where he hit 68 runs from 26 balls, sending India to a score of over 190. .
The biggest selection headache for the selectors is set on the wicketkeeping department. Whether the selectors choose both Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik is the biggest question. Dinesh Karthik has done well as a finisher this year, but he was on the bench for a few games in the Asian Cup. However, Pant himself hasn’t done anything substantial in the shortest format this year, scoring 52 against the West Indies in February 2022.
Hardik Pandya is the clear choice when it comes to the front line all-rounder. He has had a memorable 2022, first leading Gujarat Titans to IPL triumph and then even leading India in the T20I series against Ireland. Ravindra Jadeja has recently had surgery so he is virtually banned from the tournament so Axar Patel should be a direct replacement. It would be interesting to see if Deepak Hooda keeps his place as he was all but wasted as the Asian Cup finisher.
Now comes the bowling department, such as Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh should be the clear choices. But looking at how Bhuvneshwar Kumar fared after death in the Asia Cup matches against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the selectors might be tempted to include Deepak Chahar in the lineup. Mohammed Shami also didn’t play a single T20I after the World Cup last year, but calls for his entry have risen as we look at the Asian Cup debacle and how he performed for Gujarat Titans in the IPL, taking 20 wickets in 16 games against a average of 24.40.
Taking wickets up front was a problem for Team India and Shami has a knack for taking wickets at the top.
When it comes to spinning options, Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin can tie the knot as these two know how to get the job done in pressure situations. However, Ravi Bishnoi’s performance against Pakistan in the Asian Cup Super 4 clash could throw the cat among the pigeons.
promoted
Our team of 15 for Team India: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Deepak Hooda, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal , Mohammed Shami, Deepak Chahar
Standbys – Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh
Topics mentioned in this article