T20 World Cup 2021: 3 Indian players who could be surprise inclusions

Cricket

Krunal Pandya could be one of the surprise inclusions for the T20 World Cup in UAE. Although Pandya is not India's first-choice all-round option, his ability to use the long handle at the back end of the innings may go in favour of the Baroda cricketer.

Krunal Pandya

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Krunal has a career strike-rate of 162.6 in the final five overs of the innings, making him a lethal option alongside his brother Hardik and Rishabh Pant. With the ball too, senior Pandya has been effective, conceding runs at an economy of just 7.23 in the middle overs.

Shardul Thakur was the top wicket-taker in his last white-ball series against England at home. The Mumbai pacer picked up eight wickets across five T20Is with a wicket every 13th ball.

Shardul Thakur

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Thakur has a knack for breaking partnerships and is great at deceiving the best batsmen with his canny slower ones. He is also a handy lower-order batsman down the order. Shardul Thakur could be a surprise selection if picked for the T20 World Cup as a backup seam bowler.

Mohammed Siraj could be one of the dark horses at this year's T20 World Cup. Although Siraj has played just three T20Is for India to date, his potential to pick wickets with the new ball and bowl yorkers at will, will hold him in good stead even in the shortest format.

Mohammed Siraj

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IMAGE CREDITS: IPLT20

Despite not being a part of India's white-ball setup for a while, Siraj has got the backing of skipper Virat Kohli, who has seen the Hyderabad pacer rise through the ranks in the IPL. Mohammed Siraj's recent form augurs well for the pacer who will be eager to represent India in his maiden T20 World Cup.