T20 World Cup 2021: R Ashwin makes India's 15-man squad; Chahal, Dhawan miss out

India squad for T20 World Cup 2021 has been announced. On Wednesday, the BCCI named a 15-member squad with three traveling reserves keeping COVID-19 protocols in mind.

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is a surprise selection in the squad. Among the prominent names missing from India’s T20 World Cup squad are opener Shikhar Dhawan and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal.

The Mumbai Indians (MI) trio of Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan and Rahul Chahar have found a place in India’s squad for the T20 World Cup.

India have also picked two left-arm spinners in Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, while Varun Chakravarthy and Chahar are the other spin options.

Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami make up the pace department. Shreyas Iyer, Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar have been named as reserve players.

The BCCI also revealed that former skipper MS Dhoni will mentor India at the T20 World Cup.

See the full list of all T20 World Cup winners and runner-ups here.

India’s T20 World Cup squad

Virat Kohli (Capt), Rohit Sharma (vc), KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohd Shami.

Standby players – Shreyas Iyer, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar.

According to the T20 World Cup schedule, the event will be held in the UAE and Oman from October 17 to November 14. The Indian players selected for the ICC event will feature in the second half of IPL 2021, which will also be held in the UAE ahead of the T20 World Cup.

TEAM - Virat Kohli (Capt), Rohit Sharma (vc), KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohd Shami.#TeamIndia

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 8, 2021

IPL franchises have already started preparing for the resumption of the tournament. The players who are part of the Test series in England will join their respective franchises after the conclusion of the series.

India's record at the T20 World Cup

MS Dhoni and his teammates celebrate after winning the 2007 T20 World Cup. Pic: Getty Images

Led by the dynamic MS Dhoni, India won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, defeating Pakistan in a thrilling final in Johannesburg. However, they have failed to lift the crown since.

India made it to the final in 2014, where they went down to Sri Lanka by six wickets. In the previous edition of the T20 World Cup in 2016, which was held in India, they were knocked out in the semis by West Indies.

"Former India Captain @msdhoni to mentor the team for the T20 World Cup" - Honorary Secretary @JayShah #TeamIndia

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 8, 2021

Kohli’s unbeaten 89 off 47 saw India post 192 for 2, batting first at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. However, Windies’ powerful batting unit gunned down the target with seven wickets in hand.