Predicting India’s T20 World Cup Squad
You probably don’t even know what cricket it, or you don’t know how to play it. Well, I will definitely explain that in a later post. But for today, I’ll be predicting the 15 man India squad for the T20 World Cup in October. There’s a lot of old talent and young talent so many close calls will have to be made. We’ll start with the opening batsmen and work our way down to the substitutes. Let’s get into it!
1. Rohit Sharma
I have 0 doubt he won’t be an opener come October. He’s been one of the best white-ball openers for quite some time now. Once he gets going, there is no stopping him. The vice-captain is currently the second-highest average run getting in the history of T20’s. Sharma also has the most hundreds with 4. He showed out in the 2019 World Cup, if he can even close to replicating that performance, I say India’s chances of a title are in good hands.
2. Shikhar Dhawan
The only man to pair with Sharma. He and Sharma are arguably the best opening duo in the world. Dhawan might not be the best T20 player, but he’s good enough to be an opener. India prefers having some left-handed batsmen near the top of the order.
3. Virat Kohli
He’s the most all-around batsmen across all forms of cricket. Mr.Captain grinds out his runs, averaging a higher score than anyone else. He’s been the player he needs to be the past 2 T20 World Cups, winning man of the tournament in both. If Kohli can keep his strike rate and average up there, I see no problems in him winning man of the tournament for the 3rd time in a row.
4. Rishabh Pant
The main Indian wicket-keeper. There’ll definitely be a big decision to make this fall. Pant has been the main keeper for India ever since MS Dhoni made himself unavailable for international play. Although MS can make a return for what could be his last international tournament. If anything, I see Pant and Dhoni both taken, leaving KL Rahul on the side.
5. MS Dhoni
Thus he isn’t captaining anymore, Captain Cool will definitely be on this team. He could be batting at 6 or 7. I wouldn’t mind if I see someone like Hardik Pandya taking this 5 position. But who knows, MS Dhoni could move down the batting order.
6. Hardik Pandya
One of India’s best all-rounders. He can bowl, bat, and field at an exceptional level. Pandya usually bats around the 6th spot, but will occasionally move up. This past world cup, Hardik really showcased his bowling skills. He’s solidified his position on the T20 World Cup roster.
7. Ravindra Jadeja
My favorite cricket player. There’s no one in the world who’s a better all-rounder than Jadeja. He can truly do it all, one of India’s best bowlers and fielders. His batting maybe a little questionable at times, but he’s reliable. The man has a spin ball like no other. Jadeja playing at 7 is the perfect position for him, not higher and certainly not lower.
8. Kedar Jadhav
He’s another good all-rounder that India can use. Having Jadhav at 8 provides more depth, especially when batting. I know it isn’t normal for India to have 3 all-rounders in the starting lineup but hear me out. Over the past few international tournaments, India often loses due to a lack of depth down the order. Jadhav is the perfect fit.
9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
10. Jasprit Bumrah
He’s been nursing an injury for quite some time now, but come October he’ll be ready. In his time at the world cup, Kumar was quite a masterclass. He’s been one of India’s best seamers for a few years. I think putting Bhuvi at 9 might be high, but I can’t think of any other all-rounder.
11. Yuzvendra Chahal
Best bowler in the world, no questions asked. I nearly forgot about Bumrah. Whenever Bumrah bowls, the chances of India winning are high. He’s got a unique bowling form, but it works. He’ll be on the T20 World Cup roster for sure, definitely the key to India’s success.
12. KL Rahul
Though he’s best in the ODI’s, I have no problems with Chahal in T20’s. Yuzi burst onto the stage a few years back, since then he’s only gotten better. I think the selection committee has to take Chahal, especially after his performance in the 2019 World Cup.
13. Kuldeep Yadav
KL Rahul has been an in and out player. He hasn’t played to the point where he’s a lock on the team. Over the past few years, Rahul has been selected for some matched and hasn’t been selected for some. But as the third wicket-keeper, he might not even get selected. It’ll come down to Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, another wicket-keeper.
14. Shreyas Iyer
Adding Kuldeep Yadav to the lower order will send a message to every other team. Kuldeep is normally higher up, but keeping him low sends the message that India is in it to win it. Yadav can also be a great substitution if Bhuvi were to ever get injured.
15. Mohammed Shami
This is where things get tough. India needs the backup batsmen and Iyer seems like that guy. There are too many great batsmen who can take this position. It’ll all come down to what the selection committee feels, this could be a very controversial selection.
Shami has been very solid for India. Him coming at 15 would round out the squad. Shami is the best fast bowler remaining, but that’s debatable. This spot could also be taken by Deepak Chahar. These last 2 positions are the squad will be the most debated. But I’ll ride with whatever the selection committee decides.
Thanks for reading! I know you probably don’t know much. There’s my prediction for India’s T20 World Cup roster. I think this team can and will definitely win it, but there’ll be so much competition. If you know about cricket, what would you change?
Originally published at https://www.discussthegame.com.
