3 Indian players whose T20 World Cup spot is under the scanner

Team India have played a high percentage of T20I matches recently, in their endeavor to prepare for the T20 World Cup in Australia in October-November. Having suffered a shocking early exit in last year’s edition in the UAE, the Men in Blue will be keen to put up a much better show Down Under.

They lost their first two matches of the T20 World Cup last year and won the next three. But this was not enough to keep them in the tournament. Those three wins, however, began a spree which saw them register 12 consecutive victories in the format.

They equalled the record for most successive wins in T20I cricket. However, they failed to break the record as they lost the first match of a five-game series against South Africa at home. India recovered to square the series 2-2 and also beat England 2-1 away from home.

Looking at the Indian T20 squad, skipper Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul (if fit), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja and Bhuvneshwar Kumar seem certainties.

There are question marks over Virat Kohli’s form, but given the backing the former captain has received from the management, he should be on the flight to Australia.

The places of a few cricketers, however, remain uncertain and could depend on their performances in the upcoming T20I matches.

In this feature, we look at three Team India members whose T20 World Cup spot is under the scanner.

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#3 Shardul Thakur

Team India all-rounder Shardul Thakur during the ODI series in South Africa. Pic: Getty Images

Last year was a great one for all-rounder Shardul Thakur. He began by playing a stellar role in India’s famous Test triumph at the Gabba, picking up seven wickets and scoring a crucial half-century under pressure. There were some terrific all-round efforts in the Test matches in England as well.

In IPL 2021, the second half of which was played just ahead of last year’s T20 World Cup in the UAE, Thakur was one of the standout performers. He claimed 21 wickets in 16 matches as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) lifted the IPL trophy for the fourth time.

The going has been rather tough for him ever since. He scored a duck and went wicketless in the do-or-die T20 World Cup clash against New Zealand. He was poor against Afghanistan as well, registering figures of 0 for 31 from three overs.

Thakur has featured in only one T20I for India since the ICC event. He returned with figures of two for 33 in the third T20I against West Indies in Kolkata in February. Hardik Pandya’s stunning comeback has meant he has been confined to the reserves for recent white ball matches.

His below-par effort for the Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2022 hasn’t helped his cause. Thakur claimed 15 wickets in 14 games at an economy of 9.79 and scored 120 runs, averaging 15.

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#2 Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik during the 2nd T20I in England. Pic: Getty Images

Not long ago, there were calls from experts to pick in-form veteran batter Dinesh Karthik ahead of Rishabh Pant for the T20 World Cup in Australia.

On the back of a stupendous IPL 2022 campaign for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Karthik was handed a much-deserved recall to the Indian side for the T20Is against South Africa at home. The 37-year-old grabbed his opportunity, scoring an unbeaten 30 off 21 in the second game, following it up with 55 off 27 in the fourth match.

In the same series, Pant, leading the team in the absence of senior players, had an atrocious run. He managed a mere 58 runs at an average of 14.50 and a poor strike rate of 105.45. He kept falling into the same trap, miscuing balls pitching way outside the off stump. Pant was disappointing in the preceding IPL 2022 as well, failing to register a single 50-plus score during the edition.

However, the pendulum has swung in the left-hander’s favor following his standout batting efforts in England. Although he didn't do much in the two T20Is he featured in, Pant smacked 146 and 57 in the rescheduled Test and slammed a terrific 125* in the deciding ODI. The kind of form he has displayed, there is no reason for India to not back him as first-choice keeper for the T20 World Cup.

In contrast, Karthik has registered scores of five (not out),0,11,12 and six in his last five T20I matches. He should get a few more opportunities to stake his claim. However, DK cannot afford too many failures heading into the T20 World Cup.

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#1 Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer during the third T20I in England. Pic: Getty Images

When Shreyas Iyer registered three consecutive unbeaten fifties in the T20I series against Sri Lanka in February, he boosted his chances of clinching a T20 World Cup spot greatly.

However, given the heavy competition for slots in the batting order, it was pertinent for him to continue his good form. This is where the 27-year-old has faltered and finds himself behind in the pecking order.

Shreyas registered scores of 36 and 40 in the first T20Is against South Africa, but did not look as fluent. He was dismissed for low scores in the next two games. The talented batter got an opportunity to make an impact during the third T20I against England, but looked completely out of sorts in his 23-ball 28.

The right-handed batter’s woes against the short ball have been evident for a while now, but it is surprising that the rising delivery is troubling him in the T20s as well. He was dismissed to bouncers a number of times while leading the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL 2022.

Shreyas also fell to the short ball in both innings of the rescheduled Test. He needs to rediscover his batting rhythm ahead of the T20 World Cup to stay in contention.

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