T20 World Cup 2022 is beckoning upon us in just over a month, and it is time for the teams to up their preparation for the mega event. All the participating teams would want to strike a claim to be the World’s best in this format, which is not different for team India in this regard.
They haven’t tasted success in a T20 World Cup since their triumph in the inaugural edition way back in 2007 and last won an ICC trophy in 2013. Since then, there have been 6 editions of this marquee event, and Australia is the current defending champion, having won the title in 2021 held in the UAE. On the other hand, Team India bowed out of the 2021 edition just in the group stages.
India, led by Rohit Sharma, is the no.1 ranked T20I team in the World and has won almost every bilateral series they have played in the recent few months. But when it comes to multi-nation events, India has not been up to the mark. The recent Asia Cup 2022 debacle where India couldn’t make the final is a prime example of the team’s struggles in such events.
India squad for the T20 World Cup in Australia: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, 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.
Standby players: Mohammad Shami, Shreyas Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi, Deepak Chahar
So the men in blue will want to prove a point down under, and these 5 of the 15 selected Indian players will have to play a massive part if the team is to be succeeded.
Virat Kohli
The former Indian skipper Virat Kohli had a sensational Asia Cup 2022 where he made 277 runs in 5 innings at an average of over 90 and had a strike rate of around 147 in the tournament. This bodes well for India as their stalwart not only found his best form back but also filled the void of not scoring a century in the same tournament just a week ago.
This will keep Kohli in good mental space, making him one of the most dangerous batters in the Indian batting line-up. Already a winner of 2 Man of the series awards in T20 World Cups (2014 and 2016), Kohli will be happy to have another stellar World Cup in his glorious career. This could be his last T20 WC, and he would want to end it as a winner.
Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah returns to the side after missing the Asia Cup due to a back injury he sustained during the England tour earlier this year. After recovering completely, Bumrah is set to lead the Indian pace attack at his favorite venue Australia and would enjoy the conditions there.
Having had a disappointing campaign in the 2021 edition, the pacer will want to have a memorable outing for himself personally and the team. Jasprit Burmah is one of the players to watch out for among all the teams in this upcoming extravaganza.
Rohit Sharma
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma is another player to keep your eyes on in this upcoming T20 World Cup not just as a batsman but also as a leader. This is his first ICC tournament as a captain and the 5-time IPL winning skipper for the Mumbai Indians would want to break the trophy drought for India in the ICC events.
Rohit as a batsman had an average outing in the Asia Cup but showed glimpses of coming back to his destructive best in the Super 4 game clash vs the eventual champions Sri Lanka where he made 72 off just 41 deliveries. So he will want to lead from the front and script an Indian world cup win down under.
Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik’s dream was to represent India in this T20 World Cup, and his comeback story at the age of 37 is one for the ages. He returned to the side after an extraordinary IPL 2022 season for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and has made several helpful & notable contributions to India in this format.
The keeper-batsman would want to continue making an impact in this world cup and steer India to a win in this event. Also, he is one of the 2 players apart from Rohit Sharma to have represented India both in the inaugural World T20 2007 and the 2022 edition.
Harshal Patel
Harshal Patel, like Jasprit Bumrah, is returning from an injury(side strain for Harshal) and will now be raring to go in his maiden World Cup appearance for the team. The pacer has been a consistent performer for the team with the ball in the last 1 year and is expected to play a vital role in India’s 2022 World Cup campaign.
He is a genuine wicket-taker in all the phases of the bowling innings and will want to deliver on the big stage in Australia.
