The eighth edition of the T20 World Cup will begin on October 16. First, the tournament will kick-start with the preliminary qualifying round, and the Super 12 will commence on October 22.
The mouth-watering clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan is slated for October 23 to be played at the gigantic Melbourne Cricket Ground. India and Pakistan are placed in Group 2 along with South Africa, Bangladesh and two other teams that will come through from the qualifiers.
India, who failed to reach the semi-finals last year in the UAE, will want to do better this time around; the expectations from fans will always be of the trophy, which India have failed to grasp in the last 6 editions after winning the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007.
Despite the injury-forced losses of Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah, India have a number of match-winners in their squad from the bowling and batting departments.
Who is the most important player for India in T20 World Cup 2022?
However, for former India batsman Suresh Raina, all-rounder Hardik Pandya will be India’s “go-to man” at the T20 World Cup 2022. Pandya has been in terrific form this year and will hold the key to the balance of India’s eleven.
“Suryakumar, the batting that he did in the last two years, I want him to show the same intent. There is one more dark horse. His angle, swing is brilliant. But my go-to man would be Hardik Pandya. He will control the game. he will bowl the crucial overs. And he will finish the game, what MS Dhoni has done for a long period. These players would be very important. Suryakumar Yadav will be game-changer for India but at the same time, don’t forget Arshdeep Singh, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma,” Raina said.
Raina, who was a crucial part of India’s 2011 World Cup victory and a multiple-time IPL champion, asserted the importance of starting a tournament with a win.
“India need to start well as they face Pakistan in their first match. If we can do well in that match, things will be smooth as India will have the momentum. That is very crucial in the T20s,” the former CSK batsman added.
India squad for T20 World Cup 2022: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, R. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami.
