IPL 2021: The recently concluded India vs England T20I series gave all a hint of what to expect in terms of team selection for the ICC T20 World Cup. If Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan announced themselves to the international audience, some had to bite the dust, especially for KL Rahul and Yuzvendra Chahal. The two got their opportunities but failed to live up to the expectations, raising doubts over their places in the T20 WC. However, they were not the only ones. T Natarajan, Shikhar Dhawan and Axar Patel too will have to prove their worth in the IPL 2021 to be in the fray for selection.
With KL Rahul scoring just 15 runs from four innings, he has forced skipper Virat Kohli to open the innings with Rohit Sharma. While if he had failed in the new role, Rahul still would have a chance but a 94-run opening stand was proof that Rahul could find it difficult breaking into the team again. The same could be said for Shikhar Dhawan, who was already labelled as the back-up opener by Kohli. Hence, if the T20I series was any indicator, we have got a fair idea of who all will be in the T20WC team. For those doubtful, IPL 2021 will be a make or break. InsideSport takes a look at those who will need to prove their worth in the IPL.
IPL 2021: 5 players for whom IPL 14 will be ‘make or break’ for place in India squad for ICC T20 WC
KL Rahul (PBKS): Before the T20I series against England, KL Rahul was one of the first names to be on the list of certainties for the ICC T20 World Cup. Before the series, Rahul had averaged 27.00, 56.00, 49.50, 54.60 and 37.50 in the previous five series. But his nervous 15 in four innings at an average of 3.75 and strike rate of 48.38, including two ducks, forced Kohli to drop him from the decider on Saturday. With Kohli finding success in opening the innings, Rahul will now need his IPL 2020 form back for Punjab Kings in the upcoming IPL 2021. If he struggles there as well, he can kiss the World Cup chance goodbye.
Shikhar Dhawan (DC): The Delhi batsman was a precarious situation. He was already out of favour with India preferring Rahul-Rohit for the opening. In the England T20I series, he got one chance and he missed the opportunity, scoring just 4 runs in the 1st T20I. There were hopes with Rahul struggling with the bat but Kohli promoting himself and Ishan Kishan’s brilliant knock meant, Dhawan could be in trouble. Now, he will need to replicate his IPL 2020 form where he scored 618 runs at an average of 44.14 to be considered for the T20WC.
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Yuzvendra Chahal (RCB): Like Rahul, Yuzvendra Chahal was all but certain to make the cut for T20WC. But his series of poor performances, including the ones against England where he averaged 39.66 with a series economy of 9.91 and just three wickets, meant he was dropped from the final two T20I matches. He will now need a career-best IPL show to be in contention for the T20 World Cup.
Axar Patel (DC): Star of India vs England Test series with 27 wickets, only behind Ravichandran Ashwin (32 wickets), he was ready to be back in the T20I squad. While he was picked, he was given just one match and three overs to bowl. He returned without any wickets, conceding 24 runs. Then, he was left out with Rahul Chahar picked for the final two T20I matches, replacing Chahal. If that is any indication, it should be noted that he will compete for a place with Ravindra Jadeja. That could mean he would need his best form in the white-ball in the IPL 2021 to even be considered.
T Natarajan (SRH): His impressive show in Australia, followed by an injury lay-off. Natarajan was back in the Playing XI for the series decider on Saturday but could not make any impact, bagging just one wicket for 39 runs in his four overs. With Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shardul Thakur’s exceptional performance in the series and Jasprit Bumrah certain to be back to the squad, Natarajan’s inclusion will be difficult. Furthermore, he will have to compete with Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj. Hence, he will need a breakthrough IPL 2021 to have any chance to be considered for T20WC.
