From the inclusion of Hooda to the return of Shami, India’s T20 WC team selection generates four significant discussion topics.
From the inclusion of Hooda to the return of Shami, India’s T20 WC team selection generates four significant discussion topics.It wouldn’t be an Indian team pick if it didn’t make cricket fans all over the country feel different things. This is especially because the T20 World Cup is such a big event. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced India’s 15-person T20 World Cup team on September 12. The tournament will take place in Australia from October 16 to November 13, 2022.
Team India got a big boost when Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel came back. This is after they were injured before the Asia Cup and not able to play that tournament. Along with the 15-person squad, four standby players have also been named to the team.
#1 India stayed steady
India didn’t make it to the final of the 2022 Asia Cup. The team was knocked out in the Super 4 stage. However, the selectors and team management stuck with their tried-and-true players and went for stability. The key injured players like Bumrah and Harshal Patel returned. But, there were no major changes to the team. This shows that the leadership group is not panicking. It believes the trusted ones will deliver when it matters in Australia. There were questionable choices like Vijay Shankar for the 2019 World Cup instead of Ambati Rayudu and Varun Chakravarthy/Rahul Chahar for the 2021 T20 World Cup instead of Yuzvendra Chahal. Hence, an established team should make Indian fans feel better.
#2 The call back of Mohammed Shami
He was out of India’s T20 team after the 2021 T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Now, Shami is back for the home series against Australia and South Africa. However, they have put him on the standby list for the global event.
Most people thought the team management moved on from the veteran pacer in the shortest format. So, this is the most interesting choice. But putting him back on the team raises a lot of questions. It makes you wonder why he wasn’t given a chance to show why he should be in the 15-man squad over the past year.
Also, one has to wonder if it’s fair that a senior player like Shami is only going on the tour as a standby. After all, he has done so much for Indian cricket.
#3 Rishabh Pant’s predicament
Rishabh Pant is, without hesitation, one of the most qualified players the nation has ever had. And he has shown this in Test cricket. Pant is a game-winner when he’s on. So there’s no doubt about his talent. However, in T20I cricket, he just hasn’t been able to make it work yet. Pant has scored 934 runs in 58 games, which is an average of 23.9. This makes it hard to trust him. Even though leaving Pant off the team seems impossible, it was a real possibility. Hence, the 24-year-old would only have himself to blame if it happened.
India had no left-handed batsmen left after Ravindra Jadeja got hurt and Ishan Kishan was taken out of the running. This made Pant’s selection a no-brainer, even if the team management wanted to give it a second thought. This could give him a spot in the starting lineup at the expense of Dinesh Karthik. This was just like what happened in the Super 4 round of the Asia Cup. But Pant will know that in the shortest format, this could be a make-or-break event for him. The wicket-keeper batter has an outstanding record in red-ball cricket in Australia. And he will try to do the same in the mega event.
#4 Deepak Hooda’s turn around
Ten months ago, at the last T20 World Cup, Deepak Hooda wasn’t even on the Indian team. In fact, his career was in a rut at this time last year. This happened after they forced him to leave his state team, Baroda, and join Rajasthan to play domestic cricket. But since the beginning of 2022, his life has changed in a huge way. Hooda made his debut with the national team in both ODIs and T20Is in February. Since then, he has only gotten better and has earned a spot in the T20 World Cup.
His versatility as a batter lets him play anywhere from an opener to a middle-order batter. And the fact that he can bowl off-spin helped him get past Shreyas Iyer in the team. In fact, Hooda’s ability to do everything is the best way for Team India to fill Ravindra Jadeja’s spot.
Rohit Sharma should trust his bowling now that he’s going to Australia since he didn’t get a single over in the high-pressure competitions against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The upcoming home series against South Africa and Australia is the best chance for the Indians to try Hooda’s bowling. He could make a big difference.
Read more: Mohammed Shami exclusion the big call in India’s T20 squad