Team India, who headed into the tournament as hot favorites, took an early exit after they lost two consecutive matches in the Super Four round. Though both the games were close encounters, the defending champions looked sluggish in their performances.
Arguably, there are too many areas that the Men in Blue need to work upon if they want to give themselves any chance to lift the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.
Here, we a look at three players who could make a comeback in Team India following their poor performances in the six-team tournament:
1) Mohammed Shami
Team India went into the tournament with only three proper fast bowlers alongside Hardik Pandya being an all-rounder. However, this strategy didn’t work well and did hurt them towards the business end of the tournament. India, who were without the services of Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel, were clearly missing an experienced bowler in the crucial moments.
Questions were raised upon the absence of Mohammed Shami, who has done well for the country for a long time now. However, after failing in the Asia Cup, Rohit Sharma’s side might be forced to bring back Shami who has the skills and experience to deliver on the big stage.
2) Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson has been in and out of the team for the last few years. Though he has shown glimpses of what he can be, his inconsistency with the bat has hurt his chances of playing for the national side. But he might get a recall into the side after the Indian middle-order failed to deliver in the Asia Cup.
Rishabh Pant, who has played enough T20Is, is yet to convince his spot in the team. Samson has an incredible hitting ability and could be crucial on big grounds of Australia.
3) Washington Sundar
Ravindra Jadeja, who is injured and ruled out of the T20 World Cup, has opened up a spot to fill in the team. Although Axar Patel is being seen as his successor, he was not given a chance in the Asia Cup even after Jadeja was ruled out.
The Indian management might want to try Washington Sundar in that position as he is also a similar kind of a player. Sundar has the ability to bowl effectively in the powerplay, which can add a lot to the side. Besides bowling duties, he can also bat at the top of the order and score some crucial runs for the team.
