India Squad T20 WC: Team India have exactly four series to get the combination right for the T20 World Cup. Out of the three, only three series — England, West Indies & Asia Cup — will have a full-strength Indian squad. The two-match Ireland series will not have the scope to test the combination. With that, Rahul Dravid and the selectors have a big selection headache as the September 15 deadline looms large to submit final squad. Follow IND vs IRE Live Updates on InsideSport.IN.
India Squad T20 WC: 4 Big Questions Rahul Dravid must find answers to:
- Who will be India’s backup opener?
- Is there a place for out-of-form Rishabh Pant & Virat Kohli?
- What will be India’s pace combination?
- Who will partner Yuzvendra Chahal?
India Squad T20 WC: 4 Series, 4 Big SELECTION HEADACHES selectors and Indian team management need to overcome before they select India T20 World CUP SQUAD
India Squad T20 WC: 4 Series to decide combination:
- India vs Ireland – 2 Matches – 26th June to 28th June
- India vs England – 3 Matches – 7th July to 10th July
- India vs West Indies – 3 Matches – 29th July to 2nd Aug
- Asia Cup T20 starts August 27th (Officially Dates still not released)
With Dinesh Karthik returning to his best in the South Africa series, Rahul Dravid gets a big option as a finisher apart from Hardik Pandya. But the backup opener, extra spinner and the death-overs specialists are questions that are still up in the air.
India Squad T20 WC: 4 Series, 4 Big SELECTION HEADACHES selectors and Indian team management need to overcome before they select India T20 World CUP SQUAD
Backup Opener: KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma are the set opening pair in Test and T20s. But with both struggling with string of injuries, India must have an able backup option. While Ishan Kishan has done well on Indian soil, he is still untested on bouncy pitches of Australia. In fact, he has struggled against express pace even on Indian soil and it was evident in the South Africa series.
Two other options are Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sanju Samson. But Gaikwad has largely failed to impress barring a half-century while the team management hasn’t kept trust in Samson. Virat Kohli is also an option in the opening but considering his poor run of form, it is out of the question at the moment.
India Squad T20 WC: 4 Series, 4 Big SELECTION HEADACHES selectors and Indian team management need to overcome before they select India T20 World CUP SQUAD
Rishabh Pant & Virat Kohli: The two most important members of Indian team are going through a terrible run of form. The three white-ball series will be yardsticks to gauge their performance. And should they fail, Dravid will have to make some tough calls.
Both Kohli and Pant had a rough time in the IPL 2022. While Kohli skipped the SA series, the nightmare did not end for Pant. The England and West Indies series will be two most important series of Pant’s life in order to board the flight to Australia. For Kohli, even though he looked invincible, with captaincy immunity gone, he can be dropped too.
Who will partner Yuzvendra Chahal? – This is an important question Dravid must find an answer to. India have tried multiple options in Ravi Bishnoi, Axar Patel and even Kuldeep Yadav besides Ravindra Jadeja. But Axar and Kuldeep haven’t quite cemented their places.
Ravindra Jadeja sure is the front-runner for his batting ability but the three series that he will be part of will decide his fate. India are unlikely to go with a third spinner considering the conditions in Australia.
India Squad T20 WC: 4 Series, 4 Big SELECTION HEADACHES selectors and Indian team management need to overcome before they select India T20 World CUP SQUAD
What will be India’s pace combination? – Another area India yet to address is the pace combination. Hardik Pandya’s return gives Rahul Dravid the balance India needed but after a spectacular failure in UAE last year, it remains to be seen whether India keep their trust on the four pacers.
Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami struggled in the UAE. While Bumrah will be the first name to board the flight to Australia, the trio hasn’t bowled together since the last T20 World Cup.
With Harshal Patel emerging as a death-overs specialist, India are yet to nail the combination. The England and West Indies series will be two best opportunities to test them together.
India Squad T20 WC: 4 Series, 4 Big SELECTION HEADACHES selectors and Indian team management need to overcome before they select India T20 World CUP SQUAD
However, apart from the four, there are lingering questions on India’s No 4 once again. While Suryakumar Yadav looks like the best bet, Shreyas Iyer is the other option. But his recent struggles, especially against pace is of grave concern.
Furthermore, Rishabh Pant’s poor form has also raised the question whether he is a good fit at No 5 or should Hardik Pandya be promoted. Pandya did exceptionally well in IPL 2022 with the bat at No 4 and can be a good option at No 5 giving Dinesh Karthik the role of the finisher.
India Squad T20 WC: 4 Series, 4 Big SELECTION HEADACHES selectors and Indian team management need to overcome before they select India T20 World CUP SQUAD
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