- Advertisement -

5 Players Selected For England Series Who May Not Get Picked For T20 World Cup

1340
Rahul Tewatia and Akshar Patel
Photo: BCCI/IPL

Team India recently announced the squad for the five-match T20I series against England. There are various reasons why this tournament will be of relevance to the Indian Cricket Team. Firstly, with the World Cup round the corner, any game against a tough opponent will be useful. Next up, with very few T20I games left for the event, the management must conduct the auditions for the WC spots in this series.

- Advertisement -

In line with this, the selectors have named at least four newcomers in the squad. There are a couple of cricketers who also return to the setup. Amongst these, there might be a few of them who might not get to play at the World Cup. We talk about five such cricketers in this article.

1. Ishan Kishan

Although he is in red-hot form, Team India might not include Ishan Kishan in the World Cup squad. Ishan is a youngster, and it may not be wise to include such a player who is yet to have international experience. Instead, despite his hot-and-cold T20 form, Rishabh Pant will be a better option. Pant is anyways in form at the moment. If Team India requires a backup option too, KL Rahul can be more than useful with the gloves. Hence, the Jharkand man may not find a place in the WC squad.

- Advertisement -

2. Akshar Patel

Ravindra Jadeja is the best all-rounder that India has right now. While his skills with the ball are known, Jaddu’s batting has also improved in recent months. He can now be relied upon as a finisher. It’s only because of his injury that Akshar Patel is in the squad. Once Jadeja becomes fit, Akshar will be the automatic elimination. Moreover, Akshar has not produced a complete batting performance recently. That will further reduce his chances.

- Advertisement -

3. Rahul Tewatia

Rahul Tewatia is one more name that might not make it to the final list. Yes, Tewatia has done well with the bat in IPL, but his knocks have been more of cameos. With the ball too, the scenario is the same. However, Team India will need more than that. Tewatia is also inexperienced at the highest level. Players like Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar are more fit for the spin-bowling all-rounder’s role. Team India might not include a third player in this category, and hence, Tewatia could miss out.

4. Navdeep Saini

Navdeep Saini
Photo: Navdeep Saini/Instagram

Navdeep Saini struggled in the latter half of IPL 2020. Since then, he has not been in form in India colours too. With the kind of competition for spots in the pace department, Saini could struggle. Jasprit Bumrah is a certainty, and if Bhuvi is fit, he will also get selected. T Natarajan seems close to sealing his spot, and if Shami can regain his fitness, the doors could close on Saini. Hardik Pandya could start bowling by that time, further limiting Saini’s chances.

5. Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur could face the same fate as Saini. However, he is better placed than Saini right now. That said, if Shami is fit by that time, Shardul may not make it to the squad. There is also Deepak Chahar, whom the Mumbaikar must overcome. With Bhuvi’s fragility in mind, the selectors could include Chahar. Hence, only a top performance in IPL can help the Mumbaikar play the World Cup.

- Advertisement -