Team India will begin their T20 World Cup 2021 campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Virat Kohli his men enter this global tournament with a lot at stake. It has been eight years since they won an ICC event and it stretches to 13 years if we talk about the T20 World Cup alone.
With Kohli relinquishing his leadership duties in the shortest format after the global T20 meet, the talismanic cricketer will be keen to hand over the baton in the most extraordinary manner possible.
India have had good preparations, beating England and Australia in the warm-up games. The batters have looked in good touch, helping the Men in Blue chase down targets convincingly.
Although the spinners looked a bit patchy against England, the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Rahul Chahar came back strong against the Aussies as India will enter the tournament as one of the favourites in the T20 World Cup.
On that note, let's take a look at 3 cricketers who can be game-changers for India.
#3. KL Rahul
KL Rahul enters the tournament on the back of a rich vein of form, scoring tons of runs in the IPL. He is arguably the best T20 batsman in the country and millions of fans will pin their hopes on the stylish batsman from Karnataka to continue his superlative form.
The Punjab Kings captain amassed 626 runs from 13 matches in the IPL at an average of 62.60, including six fifties. Rahul continued his form, scoring another half-century in the warm-up game against England.
If KL Rahul can keep his good run of form going, he can certainly be a game-changer for India in the T20 World Cup.
#2. Varun Chakravarthy
An architect by profession, Varun Chakravarthy came up the ranks quickly to make a place for himself in the national side. He will be Virat Kohli's trump card in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Chakravarthy grabbed eyeballs with his stellar performances in IPL 2020 which earned him a call-up to the national team. However, fitness issues ruled him out and he ultimately made his debut earlier this year.
The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer has been extraordinary in the recently-concluded IPL 2021, where he bowled 149 dot balls in 17 matches, the second-highest by a bowler in the tournament. Varun Chakravarthy also picked up 18 wickets and played a key role in guiding the Kolkata Knight Riders to the final.
The 30-year-old cricketer will be keen to continue the good work and make his first-ever ICC tournament eventful.
#1. Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah has been Virat Kohli's go-to man across formats in recent times. India's campaign will largely depend on how Bumrah fares in the UAE wickets.
27-year-old Bumrah has been among the wickets in the recently-concluded IPL 2021 and his aim will be to carry on the good work. He was rested in the last warm-up game against Australia to keep him fresh for the opener against arch-rivals Pakistan.
If Bumrah gets his rhythm right, India are in with a significant chance of winning their second T20 title.
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