It has been a while since won a major ICC event. So, the focus would be on the T20 World Cup, which will happen in India later this year. The showpiece event was supposed to occur in Australia last year but owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Cup was pushed to 2021.
Every World Cup, teams are usually entitled to select a maximum of only five players. However, with the latest regulations, teams could be permitted to have a few more players as backup or reserves. Speaking about Indian Cricket, the fight for places in the T20 XI is immense. Keeping various factors in mind, we think these five players could miss out on a place in India’s WC squad.
1. Manish Pandey
Manish Pandey must be at his very best in IPL 2021 if he has to get a chance to play for India at the World Cup. In the last couple of editions, despite getting an opportunity to play for SRH in the top-order, Manish has not made a severe impact. Selectors would definitely be keeping this in mind. The likes of Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan have done better recently, and if any of these two perform better than Manish in IPL 2021, the Karnataka lad might lose out on his spot in the Indian T20 team.
2. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvi has suffered far too many injuries in recent times. While he has been away, the likes of T Natarajan and Deepak Chahar have strengthened their positions in the squad. Unless Bhuvi has an injury-free and productive IPL 2021, he might not play at the World Cup. The selectors would rather go for Deepak Chahar or Shardul Thakur, both of whom who have had a better record with injuries in recent years. Team India anyways will have the services of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami as the senior bowlers.
3. Kuldeep Yadav
He is already out of the T20 squad but considering the WC will happen in India, Kuldeep Yadav still has an outside chance. However, we are pretty certain he might not get picked for the show-piece event. In the T20 format, Kuldeep is suffering from lack of confidence, and that is affecting his game. While Yuzvendra Chahal will go in as the senior spinner, Ravindra Jadeja will also be in this department. Washington Sundar is a sure selection, and the likes of Varun CV and Rahul Chahar will also be fighting for a spot. Hence, that could be curtains for Kuldeep with regards to a place in the World Cup squad.
4. Sanju Samson
While KL Rahul will the first option to take the role of wicket-keeper, Rishabh Pant is firmly the second-choice. Pant was not selected to play in Australia, but after a splendid show in the Tests, his self-confidence seems to have returned. He will surely be back in the reckoning for the World Cup. Due to this development, Sanju Samson could be a casualty. More than two wicket-keepers may not be necessary, and the selectors would rather have a specialist middle-order player like Suryakumar Yadav. However, if Shikhar Dhawan falls out of form, Sanju could still come into the squad as the backup opener.
5. Shikhar Dhawan
IPL 2021 will be a really important tournament for Shikhar Dhawan. There are no doubts that KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma will be the preferred opening duo for the World Cup. Unless Dhawan tops the run charts in IPL 2021, he might not get a chance if both Rohit and KL are available. Also, both Ishan Kishan and Devdutt Padikkal are in good form, and the selectors could consider these youngsters than Dhawan, whose strike-rate is dropping these days. Sanju Samson and Mayank Agarwal would also be in the reckoning for the reserve-opener spot for the World Cup.
