On September 12, Monday, the BCCI announced India’s contingent to tour Australia for the upcoming T20 World Cup next month. The selectors named a 15-man squad plus four reserve players, who will fly to Australia and could be called upon to replace in case of any injury.
India squad for ICC T20 World Cup 2022:
Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul (vc), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, R. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh.
Reserves: Mohammed Shami, Shreyas Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi, Deepak Chahar.
The squad is on expected lines, and is similar to that India selected for the Asia Cup with three exceptions – Bumrah and Harshal, both of whom were injured, are now fit and replaced Avesh and Bishnoi; and Jadeja is ruled out of the T20 World Cup with his like-for-like replacement Axar Patel getting a place in the squad. To note is that India could still make changes to the initially named squad until October 22, which is a day before they play their first match – vs Pakistan in Melbourne.
Today, we look at the best XI of the Indian players who couldn’t make it into the final 15-man squad:
Openers: Prithvi Shaw, Ishan Kishan
It has been surprising to the fans that Prithvi Shaw, one of the most destructive openers in the powerplay in IPL, isn’t in India’s scheme of things for the past two years, despite him showing regularly his ball-hitting prowess in IPL and domestic cricket.
Ishan Kishan was the backup opener in last year’s T20 World Cup and even played against New Zealand. He was the leading run-scorer in the South Africa T20I series after the IPL 2022 and looked set to be the backup opener in this year’s event as well. However, Kishan fell off the selection with a few ordinary outings in Ireland, England and West Indies before being ignored from the Asia Cup.
India, then, used Suryakumar, Pant and Kohli as other opening options with much success.
Middle-order: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson
Ruturaj Gaikwad is another opener which India have tried in recent times, but his returns – 8 T20I innings, 135 runs, strike rate of 123 – have been below expectations.
Shreyas Iyer is India’s second-leading T20I run-scorer in 2022 – 449 runs in 14 innings, 4 fifties, average of 44 and strike rate of 142. These numbers look spectacular until you dig a bit deeper: 3 of his half-centuries came vs a depleted, dispirited Sri Lanka team before they re-surged in Asia Cup; another fifty came in a dead rubber vs West Indies.
Iyer’s form in T20Is was disappointing after the IPL 2022 and add to it his short ball weakness and that the T20 WC is in Australia.
It is still upsetting to many fans that Iyer is in the reserves, especially ahead of someone like Sanju Samson, who has been in pleasant form throughout this year – average of 30, strike rate of 148 across T20s in 2022. Samson did well in his chances for India in T20Is and ODIs this year but missed the cut.
All-rounders: Venkatesh Iyer, Washington Sundar
Venkatesh Iyer and Washington Sundar both fell out of the Indian team as soon as Hardik Pandya and R Ashwin, respectively, were producing all-round results in the IPL and then for Team India.
Once touted to replace Pandya in Team India, Venkatesh had a poor IPL season for KKR and was never coming back once Pandya was back to bowling. Sundar, though, remained injured most of the time this year and that made his case weaker for a return.
Seamers: Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami
Both Deepak Chahar and Mohammed Shami are in the reserves for the T20 WC. Any injury or unavailability to the four pacers in the squad will see either or both of them come in.
Chahar has missed most of the cricket this year due to injuries, while Shami, who had an excellent IPL season, where he was the second-highest Indian wicket-taking pacer, helped Gujarat Titans to win the trophy, but was called up for any T20I match until he was named for the standbys in the WC contingent; Shami will feature in the upcoming home T20I series against Australia and South Africa.
Spinners: Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi
Ravi Bishnoi has impressed everyone with his sharp, quick, skiddy bowling in the chances he’s gotten for India so far – 16 wickets in 10 T20Is – but the selectors preferred Ashwin’s experience and batting depth assurance of Bishnoi, who has been named as a reserve player.
Once a crucial cog in India’s white-ball teams, Kuldeep Yadav has struggled with form and injuries in the last two years. He made his India comeback earlier this year in West Indies and Zimbabwe but didn’t make a big impact to get in talks of the best squad.
Best XI of Indian players who didn’t find a place in the 15-man squad for T20 WC 2022:
Ishan Kishan, Prithvi Shaw, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Washington Sundar, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi.
