The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the Men in Blues’ ICC T20 World Cup 2022 squad on 12th September. The 15-member squad saw Harshal Patel and Jasprit Bumrah return to the side following their respective injuries. On the other hand, Avesh Khan and Ravindra Jadeja have not been named and are set to miss out at the ICC event in Australia.
Apart from the duo, The Indian cricket board made a few changes to the team that featured in the recently concluded Asia Cup 2022. Let’s have a look at a few players who missed on World Cup selection and could have been match winners for Rohit Sharma at the tournament.
Sanju Samson
The wicket keeper batter scored on a consistent basis in the IPL which saw him break into the national team for a few T20I series. He continued to impress against Ireland and West Indies but was kicked out from the team upon the return of seasonal players. Citing some good hitting form, many Indian cricket fans were of the opinion of seeing the Kerala based star being included to the World Cup squad.
Given his quality strokeplay and ability to bat in the top order, Samson’s solid technique would be a great asset on fast and bouncy pitches in Australia. The 27-year-old records a strike rate in the region of 140’s in the shortest format of the game and could have been a great option if he was to be included in the 15-member team.
Ravi Bishnoi
The young Indian spinner did not wrong to find himself out of the 15-member team selected for the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia. It will be reasonable to believe that Bishnoi’s exclusion from the main team is a result of the team combination choices instead of poor form with the spinner being a part of the reserves.
Rahul Dravid and co have opted to carry a 3-pronged spin attack for the event with Yuzvendra Chahal playing as a specialist leg spinner and Ravichandran Ashwin making it into the team as the sole off-spinner. Axar Patel has also been drafted into the squad as a replacement for Ravindra Jadeja, who suffered an injury on his knee at the Asia Cup and will not feature at the World Cup.
Umran Malik
Mohammed Shami has not played a single T20I for India since the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 and Avesh Khan was not selected due to poor form. While Deepak Chahar regains his fitness and is not in the main 15 member squad, one player who Indian fans feels should have been included is Umran Malik.
The speedster stole the limelight in IPL 2022 when he consistently managed to bowl deliveries at speeds in excess of 145 kmph. His raw pace and aggressive bowling style earned him a T20I debut against Ireland. Citing the young pacer’s ability to be fast and quick, many Indian fans questioned his exclusion from the team.
With the Australian conditions and big cricket grounds most likely to suit the Jammu and Kashmir star, questions were raised when he was nowhere near to be seen after the squad announcement. Did the Indian team think tank miss a trick by snubbing him off from the T20 World Cup squad? Only time will tell.
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Smit is a sports writer at Gutshot Magazine. After completing his Bachelor’s in Mass Media, and a Master’s degree in Sports Management, this sports fanatic uses articles as a tool to express his opinions. Bring up cricket or football and you will find this usually quiet guy speak for hours! He also co-heads the official supporters club of Chelsea FC in Mumbai, wherein he hosts screenings, football meets and other such events.
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