3 batters who can play a key role for India in the 2022 Men's T20 World Cup

India have unearthed quite a few prospects from the last few T20I bilateral contests after giving them a long run in this format. While the Indian Premier League has had a big role to play in the same, T20 Internationals are a different ball game altogether. However, there are a few players who can live up to the expectations.

Since their exit from the 2021 T20 World Cup, the Men in Blue have hit the ground running. Bilateral clean-sweeps against New Zealand, West Indies and Sri Lanka followed. India were on course to break Afghanistan's record of 12 successive wins in men's T20Is heading into the ongoing five-match series against South Africa, but were met with two successive defeats instead.

India now have a lot of options to choose from to bolster their batting department for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia. Other than the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, India now have a number of batters who can make a difference down under in the T20 World Cup later this year.

We take a look at three such players who are capable of doing so:

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#3 Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav can adapt to any role with the bat.

He might have been a bit of a late bloomer in national colours, but there might not be a better utility T20I batsman than Suryakumar Yadav for India at the moment. In his 10 years of IPL experience, Suryakumar has taken up every role in the batting order. From being a finisher in the final overs to evolving himself into a reliable top-order player, Suryakumar has come a long way.

Suryakumar's batting prowess in the IPL helped him seal a top-order spot in the Mumbai Indians batting order. Since 2019, he has batted a total of 50 times at numbers three & four in the IPL, accumulating 1,399 runs at a strike rate of 138.

Since making his T20I debut against England last year, Suryakumar has played a handful of significant knocks.

He has steadied the ship batting in the middle-stage of the innings with a good scoring rate, and has also been instrumental in finishing off matches. With the kind of versatility he brings to the batting order, adding to his array of shot-making, he could be a vital part of the Indian T20I batting line-up for the World Cup.

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#2 Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson in action for the Rajasthan Royals in the 2022 IPL.

There have been numerous occasions in which viewers were found wanting more from the 27-year old wicket-keeper from Kerala. Sanju Samson is a player who is better suited to playing an impactful hand at any stage of the innings instead of staying in the middle and playing anchor.

Samson absolutely loves going after the bowlers. If the ball is to be hit, no matter what the situation is, he will go for his shots. In the recently concluded IPL, Samson scored 458 runs in the 17 matches he played at a strike rate of 146.8. He struck at a striker rate of over 175 in five of those games, batting a total of more than 10 balls on each occasion.

With the 2022 T20 World Cup set to be held on pacy, bouncy Australian surfaces, the Men in Blue will need a batter who is capable of hitting quick pace from a length. With his exciting stroke-play, Sanju Samson could be an ideal fit for the same. He is a player who understands the requirements of the format best and acts upon it.

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#1 Hardik Pandya

A successful 2022 IPL has helped Hardik Pandya make a comeback to the national team.

The last couple of months or so have been redemptive for Hardik Pandya. He had been sidelined from India's limited-overs squad in the recent past due to injuries and the emergence of Venkatesh Iyer. Hardik was on a mission to prove his worth once he was appointed skipper of the newly-introduced Gujarat Titans in the 2022 IPL.

Not only was he successful in creating an impact with the bat, having scored 487 runs in 15 innings, he led his side admirably to a fairytale-like title win in the Titans' first ever season itself. He also dismissed doubts over whether he'd be of utility with the ball as well this IPL; having bowled a total of 30.3 overs throughout the tournament, Hardik took eight wickets at an economy rate of 7.28.

Hardik saved his best with the ball for the final; he took three wickets for 17 runs to ensure that a menacing Rajasthan Royals batting line-up posted a meagre total of 130. By virtue of a successful display in the IPL with both bat and ball, Hardik has made a return to the national T20I squad for the five-match series against South Africa.

Hardik Pandya has good memories of the last time he played T20I cricket in Australia; he was adjudged 'Player of the Series' in the three-match series against Australia in 2020/21.

In the second T20I, it was Hardik who hit an unbeaten 22-ball 42 to help India chase down a steep target of 195 with two balls to spare.

Hardik hit a 12-ball 31 in the first T20I against South Africa a week ago. With the Baroda all-rounder slowly starting to find his mojo, and keeping in mind his previous T20I record in Australia, the Indian team management might back him to take up the number six spot in the side going into the T20 World Cup.