India on Wednesday announced their squad for the ICC T20 World Cup, leading to a few surprises. While some of the inclusions were unexpected – R Ashwin and Axar Patel perhaps – a few names missing also made headlines. It was always on the cards considering India’s bench strength. Here are some notable absences and possible reasons.
Yuzvendra Chahal
Chahal took 21 wickets at an economy of 7.08 in the UAE in IPL 2020. However, in IPL 2021, he has only 4 wickets in 7 matches at an economy rate of 8.26. Since the start of 2019, Chahal has taken only 19 wickets from 22 T20Is in an economy of close to 9.
Chief selector Chetan Sharma said in the press conference, ‘You need a spinner who can perform at high speed. Recently we have seen Rahul Chahar bowling fast. Our thought was that we needed a spinner who could catch the surface at a fast pace and when we had a lot of discussion on Chahal, we eventually went with Rahul Chahar.
Shikhar Dhawan
Dhawan is in excellent form in IPL 2021 and leads the way in IPL 2021 with 380 runs in 8 matches so far. His strike rate has improved in recent times, and he also led India in the tour of Sri Lanka. However, the competition in the Indian team is such that they do not get any place. The selectors confirmed that India have Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan as opening options.
“He is a very important player for us. He was the captain in Sri Lanka. What we discussed with him, I can’t disclose. But he is in the loop there. The need of the hour was that we rested Dhawan in the second. Wanted to see the players.”
Prithvi Shaw
Shaw’s strike rate has taken a big step forward in IPL 2021. He has scored 308 runs in 8 innings at a strike rate of above 166. However, they will have to wait for their turn.
Sanju Samson
Samson has failed to grab his chances, and was seen in a clash against Wanindu Hasaranga in the tour of Sri Lanka. India have Pant, Kishan and KL Rahul as keeper.
“No. 1 is Rishabh Pant and No. 2 is Ishaan Kishan, the two keepers. KL Rahul has been picked as the real opener and he will keep wickets only when there is a genuine need for it.”
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Goldsmith would probably have been an automatic pick, but he got injured and was ruled out of IPL 2021. The selectors went for the experienced R Ashwin in his place.
Krunal Pandya
The all-rounder has been impressive over the years and is a vital part of Mumbai Indians. He also made a successful debut in his ODI career. However, the selectors went with Axar Patel, probably because he is a better bowler.
“T20 is about all-rounders. We have tried to fill the team with all-rounders. We have Jadeja, Hardik and Akshar. That was the main point, if wickets are changing then you have Axar and Jadeja, then Hardik is one of India’s main all-rounders,” Sharma said.
Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep has struggled to find a place in the KKR team. He has played only 14 matches since the start of IPL 2019. In the last two years, he has played only 5 T20Is at an economy rate above 9. No wonder they have been abandoned.
Mohammed Siraj, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur
Chetan Sharma’s explanation says it all:
“If the wickets are such that you can only play two pacers in the XI, then there is no point in the bench (extra fast bowler). Instead, you have utility players who will come in handy at some point in the match and that is why you have spinners and all-rounders.
“If you have seen the recent matches, Hardik Pandya is absolutely fit. He will bowl over his quota, no problem. We were trying to protect him, we didn’t want (bad) conditions before the World Cup, but he is 100% fit (to bowl).”
T Natarajan
Natarajan could have been the X-factor pick for being a left-arm fast bowler, but he injured himself during IPL 2021. Since then, he has not played any competitive cricket.
“The selectors think about the change in the bowling line-up. We also discussed about wickets (slowing down), so the selectors decided to have three main fast bowlers with Hardik Pandya as the fourth (fast). We certainly discussed T Natarajan but he hasn’t played cricket for long and he is part of the injury list and that’s why we stuck to the main guys. “
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