3 youngsters who should feature in India's T20 World Cup squad

With the home series against South Africa done and dusted, Team India will now look towards the British Isles for almost a month-long overseas stint.

Their first stop will be Dublin, where they will play two T20Is against Ireland. From there, the action will move to England where the Men in Blue will face the hosts for a one-off Test, three T20Is and as many ODIs.

With the T20 World Cup knocking on the door, Team India will be looking to get their core team ready at the earliest. While seniors like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah are likely to feature in the squad for the World Cup, one might get to see a few young and relatively inexperienced faces making the cut as well.

Given the immense competition within the team, it will be important for the youngsters to up their game in the upcoming matches to remain in the mix.

Although nothing is guaranteed, here are three youngsters who should feature in India's squad for the T20 World Cup.

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#1 Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan rose to prominence when he led India to the finals of the ICC U19 World Cup in 2016. Although India lost the final to West Indies, the left-handed batter attracted attention for his power-hitting skills.

Kishan made his IPL debut soon after and was in his element in the 2020 season. The swashbuckler scored 516 runs in 14 matches, making him the highest run-scorer for the Mumbai Indians (MI) that season.

His good run in the IPL soon earned him his maiden international call-up in 2021 against England. Kishan repaid the selectors by scoring 56 runs off 32 balls in his debut. It also earned him his first Player of the Match award.

The Jharkhand batter made a good impression in the recently concluded series against South Africa as well. The southpaw smashed 206 runs in five matches, including two fifties. Incidentally, he also finished as the highest run-getter in the series.

Kishan's fearless approach makes him an asset to have in any team. Interestingly, the southpaw is India's second-highest run-scorer since 2021 in T20Is. Understandably then, the MI opener is surely going to be on the minds of the selectors when they decide on the squad for the T20 World Cup Down Under.

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#2 Umran Malik

Umran Malik impressed during the recently concluded IPL 2022, picking up 22 wickets (Credit: PTI)

Umran Malik burst onto the scene last year during the IPL and hasn't looked back since then. The speedster, who hails from Kashmir, made his debut against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and made heads turn with his raw pace.

In the match between SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), he stunned the crowd by clocking at least 150 kmph in five consecutive deliveries.

Earlier this year, he was retained by SRH for IPL 2022 and for good reason. He ran through the opposition's batting order, finishing the season with 22 wickets to his name. Against the Gujarat Titans, Malik finished with figures of 5/25 - the first five-wicket haul of his T20 career.

His impressive showing with the ball also earned him the Emerging Player of the Season award. The 22-year-old was selected for India's series against South Africa but didn't make an appearance. With the T20Is against Ireland coming up, many expect him to finally make his international debut for India.

Considering the fast and bouncy pitches in Australia, having a bowler like him in the ranks is definitely going to bolster India's prospects in the T20 World Cup.

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#3 Avesh Khan

Another young Indian pacer who has got the whole world talking about his bowling is Avesh Khan. Although the 25-year-old made his T20 debut for RCB in 2017, he arguably got to his rhythm once he started playing for the Delhi Capitals (DC). In 2021, the Madhya Pradesh pacer picked up 24 wickets, making him the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament.

Prior to this year's IPL, Khan was picked up by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for ₹10 crore, thereby becoming the most expensive uncapped player in the history of the competition.

Avesh may not have the pace of his compatriot Umran Malik, but he makes up for it with his variations. In the fourth T20I against South Africa this month, he broke the Proteas' spine by picking up four important wickets, finishing with career-best figures of 4/18.