After the disappointing group-stage exit of Team India from last year’s T20 World Cup in the UAE, the Men In Blue, under the new reign of skipper Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid, will be hoping to not just do better at this year’s tournament in Australia, but clinch the trophy they have failed to win since 2007.
With T20 cricket being a really fickle and unpredictable format, impact players or shock players or the X-factors are the ones that the selectors and management will want to include in their 15-man squad.
Here are 3 players who could be that surprise factor in the squad that would make the difference in the fortunes of Team India at the T20 World Cup 2022:
Umran Malik
Umran Malik is the future. But some feel that the fast bowler – who holds the record for the fastest delivery by an Indian in the IPL – could be the present in India’s T20I team as well. At the time of writing, Umran Malik is the third-leading wicket-taker in IPL 2022, having taken 15 wickets, including a five-wicket haul.
Although at the start of the season Malik was erratic with control of his lines and lengths, as the tournament progressed he’s markedly improved on the control factor while keeping his pace and energy intact. While he’s not yet ready for longer format international cricket, Malik has made a case to be in India’s T20I team – also for the T20 World Cup in Australia, where he will enjoy the pace and bounce.
Rahul Tripathi
Calls for Rahul Tripathi to be given an India cap have grown multi-folds with his performances from last season as a middle-order enforcer. While the Indian team comprises a number of anchor batters, experts opined that Tripathi – who has scored runs at a strike rate of 174 and average of 45 so far this season – could well be the impetus provider India needs. India can take a chance with him in the T20 World Cup 2022.
Rahul Tewatia
Rahul Tewatia has shut down all those who mocked the Gujarat Titans for splurging out 9 crore at the mega-auction with his brilliant and calm finishing work in the IPL 2022, and has played a crucial role in the Titans reaching the playoffs before any other team.
Tewatia was previously known only for his heroics against Punjab and Sheldon Cottrell during the IPL 2022 and there were doubts over his effectiveness against better bowlers. However, the southpaw now has smashed 179 runs at a strike rate of 161 and has been involved in two last-ball wins for Gujarat.
Time and again Rahul Tewatia has shown that he can keep his composure in the slog overs and is able to clear any boundary. If any other all-rounder is out of form or injured, Tewatia, with his handy leg-spin and good fielding abilities, could be a devastating X-factor at the T20 World Cup.
