IPL 2021 Phase 2: With just two months left in the T20 World Cup, IPL 2021 Phase 2 will be an important platform for all the hopefuls to make a mark and book their berth in Virat Kohli’s Team India. If Shikhar Dhawan is still in contention, Suryakumar Yadav could just seal the deal while Krunal Pandya, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar and Kuldeep Yadav are all fighting for their places in the T20 World Cup contingent set to be played immediately after IPL.
The white-ball series in Sri Lanka was the platform where Suryakumar Yadav shined. His man of the series performance in the three-match ODIs showed he is India’s new star in the middle-order and would be indispensable in the T20 World Cup. But the skipper on the tour Shikhar Dhawan raised more questions than he answered with Prithvi Shaw shining.
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InsideSport takes a look at Indian cricketers, who will have to impress to make it to the T20 World Squad.
Shikhar Dhawan (Delhi Capitals): The veteran India batsman has been in terrific form in the IPL. The Orange Cap leader has scored 380 runs in 8 matches at an average of 54.28. But that performance hasn’t translated in the blue jersey. With KL Rahul in fantastic form and is the preferred choice, Shikhar Dhawan has seen his stocks drop significantly. In the Sri Lanka series, apart from an 86-run knock in the 1st ODI, he hasn’t done well. With Prithvi Shaw and Ishan Kishan also shining in India colours, IPL 2021 Phase 2 will be an important one month if he is to convince selectors for T20 World Cup, which could also be his last tournament in India jersey.
Shreyas Iyer (Delhi Capitals): The Delhi Capitals captain was one who had all but confirmed his place in India’s Playing XI in the T20 World Cup. But Shreyas Iyer suffering an injury and Suryakumar Yadav making merry with his opportunities in his absence, the Mumbai captain’s place in India’s middle-order has suddenly become a question mark.
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Deepak Chahar (Chennai Super Kings): The breakout star of India’s tour of Sri Lanka, Deepak Chahar has already established his name as a bowling all-rounder. But he has a lot of competitions from Shardul Thakur, T Natarajan and Navdeep Saini to make it to the T20 World Cup squad. The 2nd Phase of the IPL 2021 will offer him a chance to solidify his place with some good bowling and batting. He has already performed well with the bowl, time to shine with the bat too.
Kuldeep Yadav (Kolkata Knight Riders): In the 1st phase, Kuldeep Yadav wasn’t given the confidence he deserved. He didn’t get any chance to bowl and prove his worth. From a guaranteed starter, he became a benchwarmer within a season. But with some good performances against Sri Lanka, he will have the confidence and will want to prove that he is still good if given a chance in the IPL. With a few good shows, he can still book a ticket for T20 World Cup.
