Team India's position wise back-up for the T20 World Cup 2021

All the focus for 2021 and even 2022 is on the shortest format of the game as there are two T20 World Cup scheduled during those years. The first one will be held in UAE, while Australia will host the event in 2022. Like other countries, even India is planning for the World Cup and looking to find the best possible combination. They have tried out quite a few players and different combinations during the ongoing series against England, who hold a 2-1 lead in the five-game series. Playing against the world’s best T20 team is a good test for the team and will help them understand how effective their players can be against the top teams. While having a good playing XI is obviously important, having solid backup options on the bench is also quite important in case someone loses form or gets injured. On that note, here’s a look at- Position wise back-up in the T20I World Cup for India 1. Shikhar Dhawan (Rohit Sharma) Shikhar Dhawan. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images) Given that Virat Kohli said that KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma are his first-choice openers, it makes things difficult for Shikhar Dhawan. However, he was given an opportunity in the first T20I against England as Rohit was rested. He failed to make use of the chance as he scored just 4 runs in 12 balls. Thus, he was dropped for the 2nd game, when he was probably meant to play that game as well. However, he is still going to be there as a backup given his IPL performances and decent T20I stats in general. He has scored 1673 runs in 65 T20Is at an average of 27.88 while scoring at 127.41. The left-handed batsman was in prime form during the IPL when he scored 618 runs at a strike rate of nearly 145, and thus he will be one of the backup openers. 2. Ishan Kishan (KL Rahul) Ishan Kishan. (Photo Source: BCCI) Ishan Kishan made his international debut in the second T20I, and it was Kishan who replaced Shikhar Dhawan at the top of the order. He scored a magnificent 56 off just 32 balls and became the 2ndIndian batsman to have scored a fifty on T20I debut after Ajinkya Rahane, who achieved the feat 10 years ago against the same opposition. His fearless approach earned great praise from various commentators and pundits. India has always lacked aggression at the top of the order and Ishan Kishan’s arrival was thus a breath of fresh air. If KL Rahul fails a couple more times, we might even see Ishan Kishan as the team’s first choice opener given that his style of play that would complement Rohit Sharma. However, he wasn’t able to repeat his heroics in the 3rd T20I as he scored just 4 runs from 9 deliveries in the 3rd game. 3. Suryakumar Yadav (Virat Kohli) Suryakumar Yadav. (Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images) Suryakumar Yadav also made his debut in the 2nd T20I, but unlike Ishan Kishan he didn’t get a chance to prove himself. India managed to chase down the total quite comfortably and his services weren’t even required as they won the game by 7 wickets. As a result, he was left out for the 3rd game, but he will surely get an opportunity to show his skills during the last two T20Is. The 30-year-old scored 480 runs in 16 IPL games at a strike rate of 145.01 while maintaining an average of 40 in 2020. The Mumbai Indians batsman also has the ability to be aggressive from the very first ball. His 360-degree range is quite rare among Indian batsman and hence, it was quite surprising that he wasn’t given a call-up till now. 4. Manish Pandey (Shreyas Iyer) Manish Pandey. (Photo Source: Twitter) Manish Pandey can consider himself quite unlucky as he has never been given an extended run of games despite performing well. He has always been in and out of the playing XI, but has managed to retain his place in the 15-man squad for a decent amount of time. He was a part of the squad against Australia and played just one game, where he scored 2 runs in 8 balls. He subsequently injured himself and returned to action just a few days back in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and is thus not a part of the squad of current series against England. He has been competing with Iyer for the place in the team for quite some time now, and Iyer has certainly edged him in the race with his decent performances in this series. In general, Pandey has scored 709 runs in 39 games at an average of 44.31 while striking at 126.15. 5. Sanju Samson (Rishabh Pant) Sanju Samson. (Photo Source: Twitter) Had this XI been drafted a few months ago, Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant would have been in the opposite places. Pant was dropped for the T20I matches against Australia, and it was Samson who was given the nod as he performed better in the IPL when compared to the Delhi Capitals keeper. However, he wasn’t able to establish himself as he scored just 48 runs in 3 games. His mediocre form during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy didn’t help him and Pant’s outstanding form in Test matches meant that he had to make way. With three players who are capable of keeping wickets in the current squad, he will have to do something extraordinary during the IPL to get back into the squad. The Asia Cup might also be an opportunity for him as the likes of Pant and potentially, even Rahul won’t be available due to their commitments with the Test team. 6. Rahul Tewatia (Hardik Pandya) Rahul Tewatia. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) The 27-year-old was handed his first-ever international call-up on the back of a good campaign with the Rajasthan Royals. However, he failed the fitness test and then there was talk that he might be removed from the squad. However, he is still there with the team and bowling in the nets, and there is little clarity over him at present. Assuming he clears the fitness test in the future, he will most likely be a part of the T20I squads for series’ after this. Rahul Tewatia is quite an aggressive batsman and has the ability to take the game to the opposition during the latter half of the innings and is someone who can bowl 2-3 useful overs. Last season, he scored 255 runs in 14 games at an average of 42.5 and was scoring at nearly 140. He also picked up 10 wickets while conceding at just 7.08. Even in general, his T20 strike rate is 150 and is one of India’s better options to play at No.6. In the event if Tewatia fails to pass the test, Vijay Shankar or Shivam Dube might stand a chance. 7. Washington Sundar (Ravindra Jadeja) Washington Sundar. (Photo by MARTY MELVILLE/AFP via Getty Images) Washington Sundar is just 21 years of age, but has already been on the scene for quite some time. He made his IPL debut in 2017, and he has also been a part of India’s T20 squad since then. He doesn’t turn the ball a whole lot and neither does he have many variations, but the fact he has still survived in international cricket shows how well he has managed to make up for those deficiencies. His accuracy and discipline are among the very best in the world, and the fact he conceded at less than 6 during the IPL despite bowling during the powerplay is a testament to that. Last season, Sundar picked up 8 wickets in 15 games while maintaining an economy rate of 5.96. In 29 T20Is, he has picked up 25 wickets at a strike rate of 23.6 and has a brilliant economy of 6.95. In the ongoing series, he has picked up 4 wickets in 3 games and conceded at less than 7. If Chahal’s poor form and Sundar’s excellent form continue, he might become a first-choice player at the expense of the leggie. 8. Shardul Thakur (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) Shardul Thakur. (Photo Source: Twitter) Shardul Thakur has played in all 3 T20Is thus far, but he is unlikely to be India’s first-choice bowler given that the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Natarajan will be in the mix. He would probably be the 2nd or 3rd choice pace backup when all players are available. In the 3 games he has played in this series, he has picked up 2 wickets while conceding at 8.67. Overall, he has 25 wickets to his name in 20 matches at a good strike rate of 16.2, but his economy rate of 8.9 is a bit too high. While he is decent during the powerplay and in the middle overs, he tends to leak runs during the back-end of the innings and that is the reason why he hasn’t been able to cement a place in the team. However, his batting is quite useful. and he can score valuable runs at a good strike rate. 9. Deepak Chahar (Mohammed Shami) Deepak Chahar (Photo credit: David Davies/PA Wire.) Deepak Chahar was given a Golden opportunity to establish himself as a first-choice bowler during the series against Australia given that Bhuvneshwar was injured, while Natarajan was just making his debut. However, he wasn’t able to do that and has now been relegated to the bench. He has the ability to swing the ball both ways and when in form, he is definitely one of the world’s best swing bowlers. He is best utilized if three of his overs come during the powerplay. Chahar has also been working hard on his death bowling and has shown signs of progression in that area as well. In 13 T20Is for India, he has picked up 18 wickets at a strike rate of 15.6 while having an economy of just 7.56. He also broke the record for best figures in T20Is when he picked up 6/7 against Bangladesh. All in all, he is a very good bowler and will surely be a part of the squad for the World Cup unless something drastic happens. 10. T Natarajan (Jasprit Bumrah) Thangarasu Natarajan. (Photo by Cameron Spencer – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images) If someone told Natarajan a year ago that he would be an IPL regular and one of India’s best limited overs’ bowlers in 2021, he would have laughed it off and gone back to whatever he was doing. His rise has been nothing short of meteoric and the fact that he has gone from not playing an IPL game for 2 consecutive seasons, to making his debut in all 3 formats is quite surreal. He was excellent in the IPL for the Sunrisers as he picked up 16 wickets in 16 games at a strike rate of 23.56 while conceding at just over 8. His ability to bowl yorker after yorker is just magnificent and his emergence has provided India with a quality backup option in the death bowling department. In three T20Is, he picked up 6 wickets at a strike rate of 12 and conceded at just 6.91. 11. Varun Chakravarthy (Yuzvendra Chahal) Varun Chakravarthy. (Photo Source: Twitter) Varun Chakravarthy might be one of the unluckiest people at present and nothing seems to be working out for him at present. After a good season in the IPL, he was called up to the Indian team, but injury ruled him out of it and instead, it was Natarajan who was given an opportunity. He was again picked for the series against England, but due to the fact that he failed the fitness test, he was removed from the squad in favour of Rahul Chahar. However, if he manages to pass the fitness test, he will be picked in the squad for other games in the future. Like Natarajan, even Chakravarthy’s rise has been meteoric. He was outstanding for KKR last season and picked up 17 wickets in 13 games at a strike rate of 18.35 and conceded at just 6.84. The mystery spinner has several variations up his sleeve and batsmen struggled to understand what he was going to do. He might even replace Chahal when picked given that he has been in poor form. In the event if Chakravarthy fails to pass the test, Rahul Chahar or even Ravi Bishnoi might stand a chance.

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