T20 World Cup 2022: 3 bowlers who can replace Harshal Patel if he is ruled out

Indian pacer Harshal Patel picked up a side strain injury during the recently concluded T20I series against West Indies and ended up missing the entire series. Because of this, he has been ruled out of India’s Asia Cup campaign and could miss out on the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2022 which is set to take place in Australia from October 16 as he needs four to six weeks of recovery and rehabilitation.

Since his debut against New Zealand, Harshal has become a crucial member of India’s T20I side because of the variety and deception in his bowling. If the right-arm pacer fails to recover in time, then selectors will have to find someone who can bowl in the death overs alongside Jasprit Bumrah. On that note, let’s take a look at-

Three players who can replace Harshal Patel if he is ruled out in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup:

1. Arshdeep Singh

Arshdeep Singh has arguably been the biggest positive for the Indian team in T20 cricket over the last month. The left-arm medium pacer is known for his death bowling and toe-crushing yorkers. After a brilliant IPL season, Arshdeep left his mark in international cricket with his impressive T20I debut against England last month where he picked up two wickets at an impressive economy rate of 5.14.

The 23-year-old has put on a standout performance in the six matches he has played so far, picking up 9 wickets at an economy of 6.33. Following his brilliant bowling performance in the five-match T20I series against West Indies, the Punjab-born cricketer was named Player of the Series.

Harshal’s absence in the upcoming Asia Cup could be a good opportunity for young Arshdeep Singh to stake a claim for a place in the team for the T20 World Cup 2022. In just six matches, Arshdeep has managed to showcase his talent at the international level and impressed many cricket experts with his controlled death bowling. It would not be a surprise if he gets selected for the T20 World Cup in case Harshal misses out.

2. Avesh Khan

Indian selectors have given opportunities to several young fast bowlers since the conclusion of last year’s T20 World Cup and Avesh Khan is one of them who has been a regular part of India’s T20 side since his debut. It would not be wrong to say that the 25-year-old pacer is in the scheme of things for the upcoming T20 World Cup after his inclusion in the Asia Cup squad.

The Madhya Pradesh-born cricketer made his T20I debut earlier this year against West Indies but the performance was not memorable as he leaked runs at an economy of 10.50. He bounced back in the home series against South Africa, where he bagged career-best figures of 4/18 in the fourth game of the series.

Overall, Avesh picked up 11 wickets in 13 matches at an economy rate of 8.67. After an impressive last two editions of the IPL, he has taken massive strides in his cricketing journey and is now donning the blue jersey. He is a quick fast bowler, can move the new ball and can also generate extra bounce off the length but he has to perform consistently in the upcoming Asia Cup to get selected for this year’s World Cup and can be an option if Harshal fails to recover.

3. Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur, who hails from Palghar, has a knack for taking wickets and possesses the ability to score crucial runs in the lower order. The 30-year-old has enough experience playing T20 cricket and knows what it takes to do well at the highest level of the game.

The allrounder, however, will have to perform well on the Zimbabwe tour to cement his spot for the T20 World Cup because he hasn’t played T20I cricket for India since February 20, 2022. If he manages to perform well in the upcoming series, selectors can put their hopes on him.

Shardul has featured in 25 T20Is so far, picking up 33 wickets at an average of 23.39 and he has contributed with the bat in the lower order at a strike rate of 181.57. If Harshal misses out, then Shardul could be a good replacement because he has both a good track record and experience of playing in Australia.