Team India squad for T20 World Cup: 3 players who were unlucky to miss out

The Team India squad for the T20 World Cup 2022 has been announced. There are not too many surprises in the 15-member squad that will be led by Rohit Sharma. KL Rahul has been retained as vice-captain, while Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav will be key members of the batting lineup.

The debate over wicketkeeper-batters will continue at the ICC event in Australia as both Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik find a place in the T20 World Cup India squad. Hardik Pandya will be Team India’s main all-rounder in the absence of the injured Ravindra Jadeja. The latter’s unavailability means Axar Patel finds a place in the squad as a like-for-like replacement.

Among the bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, and Arshdeep Singh will be the four pacers. Yuzvendra Chahal will be the lead spinner in the Team India squad for the T20 World Cup. Ravichandran Ashwin and left-arm spinner Axar are the other slow bowling options.

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#3 Deepak Chahar

Team India pacer Deepak Chahar. Pic: Getty Images

Pacer Deepak Chahar has been named as one of the four standby players in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup. He could have been a strong contender to make the main squad. However, he has hardly played any cricket since getting injured during the white ball series against West Indies at home earlier this year.

In fact, he made a comeback to international cricket during the ODI series in Zimbabwe last month. It was a memorable return as Chahar bagged Player of the Match for his figures of three for 27. However, a number of experts were of the view that only one of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Chahar could fit into the India’s World Cup squad since they are similar bowlers. The selectors decided to go in with the former.

Chahar would consider himself a bit unlucky since he has impressed in both T20Is and ODIs during his short international career. The 30-year-old has claimed 26 wickets in 21 T20Is at an average of 23.34.

He is also a better white-ball batter than Bhuvneshwar, with two ODI fifties to his name. However, with Jasprit, Harshal, and Arshdeep available, Chahar narrowly missed out.

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#2 Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson has been impressive with the willow and behind the wickets as well. Pic: Getty Images

Sanju Samson didn’t do anything wrong to be left out of Team India’s T20 World Cup squad. Since making a comeback to the T20I squad earlier this year, he has registered scores of 39, 18, 77, 30* and 15. In ODIs this year, he has notched up 12, 54, six*, 43* and 13.

The numbers are pretty impressive. To add to that, he has been excellent behind the wickets as well. He has taken some brilliant catches, displaying acrobatic skills. His full-length dive during the first ODI of the series in West Indies went viral. It was the last ball of the match and extra runs could have cost India the game. But Samson’s heroics ensured the Men in Blue hung on for a three-run win.

Unfortunately for the Kerala gloveman, Pant and DK were always above him in the pecking order. There is bound to be some criticism over Pant’s selection in India’s squad for the T20 World Cup because he has a pedestrian T20I record. However, the left-hander has that X factor about him that cannot be ignored. Hence, Samson has to make way, although the decision may seem a bit harsh.

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#1 Ravi Bishnoi

Young Team India leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi. Pic: Getty Images

Of all the players who have narrowly missed out, young leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi is bound to feel the most aggrieved. Although he has been named as one of the standbys in Team India’s T20 World Cup 2022 squad, many experts feel that he should be in the 15-member squad. However, the Indian selectors ultimately went for the experience of Ashwin, even though he has not been very impressive in his recent T20 appearances.

Having made his T20I debut against West Indies in February this year, Bishnoi has claimed 16 scalps in 10 matches at an average of 17.12 and an economy rate of 7.08. Impressive numbers, but the sample size was perhaps not big enough for the selectors to take a punt with the 22-year-old at a mega event like the T20 World Cup.

The Indian think tank could have been tempted to pick Bishnoi ahead of Ashwin. But the fact that the selectors have chosen another near-rookie in left-armer Arshdeep might have forced them to stick with the tried and tested off-spinner.

While Bishnoi might be slightly disappointed, he is still very young and is bound to get his chance sooner rather than later if he maintains the standard of his performances.

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