5 players India should try before World T20 

A couple of months post the heartbreaking semi-final loss in the World Cup, the focus has shifted fairly and squarely on to next year's World T20. The Indian team has been in tremendous form in Test and ODI cricket but their recent T20 form has been a little shaky. Out of the last five T20 series that the Men in Blue have played, they have lost two and drawn two with the only series win coming against a not-so-strong West Indies outfit.

Team India certainly hasn't clicked all the boxes when it comes to T20 cricket and they will need some major improvements before the World T20. The team management and selectors have already started to try out a few things in the process of building a strong squad for the tournament. Quite a lot of fringe players have been given chances in the last couple of series. But still there are areas of concerns that need to be addressed. We will look at five players who can be answers to India's problems in T20 cricket and need to be given a go before the World T20.

#5 Shivam Dube

Shivam Dube

Shivam Dube was the talk of the town before IPL 2019. The Mumbai all-rounder fetched five crores in the IPL auction owing to his reputation of being a big-hitter.

Unfortunately, Dube failed miserably in IPL 2019 as he could not live up to expectations. But Dube has shown strong character and has continued his good work in domestic cricket. The BCCI has shown faith in Dube's ability by selecting him in the India A squads despite the IPL drubbing. The 26-year old has been a steady performer for India A since, and with Hardik Pandya's inconsistent run in T20s, it won't be a surprise if Dube makes his India debut sooner rather than later.

Hardik Pandya is not always as consistent in the T20 format as in ODIs.

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#4 Shreyas Gopal

Shreyas Gopal.

The Indian selectors took a surprising call on the spin-bowling duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav post the World Cup. Chahal and Kuldeep were left out of the T20 squads for the West Indies and South Africa series.

And even though it isn't the end of the road for the pair by any strech of imagination, it is quite clear that the selectors are looking for other options. Virat Kohli has also pointed out that they are looking for bowlers who can contribute with the bat too. One player who can fit in the bill is Shreyas Gopal. Gopal had a sensational IPL 2019 where he finished 4th in the highest wicket-takers list with 20 wickets. Gopal received accolades for his control and variations.

Apart from his bowling, Gopal is a more than useful lower-order batsman. The Karnataka all-rounder has played some stunning cameos under pressure situations in the IPL.

#3 Mayank Agarwal

Mayank Agarwal

Mayank Agarwal is one batsman who forced his way into the Indian team by piling huge number of runs across formats at the domestic level. The Karnataka opener impressed one and all with his fluent batting against a strong Australian bowling attack on his international debut. He then received a surprise call-up in the World Cup squad as a replacement for Vijay Shankar.

And even though he does not look like being in the scheme of things in the T20 format as of now, Agarwal provides a strong and bankable option to the selectors. Agarwal has the right kind of technique to succeed on Australian pitches.

The 28-year-old likes to play his shots on the rise and thus, batted comfortably on the bouncy Australian tracks last year. In fact, he took the attack to the Australian bowlers with his stroke-play. Agarwal is a proven customer with loads of experience and surely deserves a chance in the T20 side.

Will Virat Kohli consider Mayank Agarwal as an option in the T20 team?

#2 Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill is considered to be the 'next big thing in Indian cricket' and he has already shown glimpses of his talent in his short cricket career. After making headlines with a superlative performance in the U19 World Cup, Gill has been consistently playing some eye-catching innings in the domestic circuit. The 20-year-old even made it to the Indian ODI side for the series against New Zealand early this year. Gill has now made it to the Indian Test team as well.

Talking about his T20 credentials, Gill has played some crucial knocks for his side Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. The right-hand batsman has scored 499 runs in the IPL at a decent average of 33.26. Gill is quite flexible when it comes to batting position and can be used both as an opener as well as a middle-order batsman.

It will be interesting to see for how long the Indian selectors can resist including Gill in the Indian T20 side.

#1 Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson's non-selection in the national side has been a topic of discussion in cricketing circles for quite some time now. And even though there are no doubts about his prowess as a batsman, his average domestic record in limited overs' games is the reason for his failure to make it to the Indian team. While he averages 36.81 in first-class cricket, his average drops to a poor 28.31 in List A games something that has denied him a place in the national side.

Having said that, the selectors should consider taking a punt on the 24-year-old. The number 4 position has been a burning issue for team India for a long time now. Samson, who has played just one T20 international, can be the right candidate to fill in the vacant spot as he is well equipped to play both spin and pace bowling. Moreover, with uncertainty on MS Dhoni's future and questions on Rishabh Pant's temperament, Samson can be a long-term wicket-keeping prospect too.

There have been questions about Rishabh Pant's temperament in recent times.