3 dropped Indian players who can make a comeback to the T20I squad with a good IPL 2023 season
The last few years have seen Team India hand debut caps to several youngsters in the shortest format. From Shivam Mavi to Rahul Tripathi to Ruturaj Gaikwad, many have made their international debuts in recent years.
Out of all the debutants, only a handful of players have managed to stake a claim in the international arena and retained their place in the T20I side.
The Indian T20I side is going through a paradigm shift ahead of the next edition of the ICC T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA. The think tank is trying out new combinations to find out their best possible playing XI.
The upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be a massive platform for out-of-favor players to make a comeback in the T20I side.
On that note, let's take a look at three dropped Indian players who can make a comeback into the T20 side after a good IPL 2023.
#3 Devdutt Padikkal
Karnataka-born Devdutt Padikkal broke into the Indian side on the back of two superlative campaigns in IPL 2020 and 2021. The southpaw, who represented the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in those two seasons, smacked 884 runs in 29 games, including a century and six fifties, two seasons combined.
The lanky opener was soon after drafted into the T20 side against Sri Lanka in 2021. However, Padikkal failed to make the most of the opportunity, managing only 38 runs from two matches. With so much competition, he obviously slipped down the pecking order.
The forthcoming edition of the IPL will present the Rajasthan Royals (RR) opener with a superb opportunity to make a comeback into the T20I side.
#2 Varun Chakravarthy
Architect-turned-cricketer Varun Chakravarthy burst onto the scene with his mystery spin in IPL 2020 while playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He bamboozled the batters with ease and was their best bowler in the next two seasons, scalping 35 wickets in 30 games.
Despite having fitness issues, the Tamil Nadu-born cricketer made his international debut against Sri Lanka in 2021. But Varun was far from his best and failed to replicate his IPL performance for the Men in Blue. So far, he has played six T20Is, picking up only two wickets.
He also had a poor outing in IPL 2022, managing only six wickets. Varun will hope to get the rhythm back and use IPL 2023 to make his way back into the Indian T20I side.
#1 Venkatesh Iyer
Venkatesh Iyer was once touted as Hardik Pandya's replacement after his stellar showing in the IPL. The southpaw grabbed attention with his swashbuckling batting in the second half of IPL 2021, smashing 370 runs in 10 matches at an average of over 40.
Based on his IPL form, Iyer was drafted into the Indian side immediately. However, he wasn't as effective as he was for the Kolkata Knight Riders. He has scored only 133 runs in nine games and picked up five wickets.
His sub-par performance in the national colors saw him lose the selector's confidence. Iyer will be eyeing the next season of the IPL to bring himself back into the national reckoning.
Also Read: 3 players who were unfortunate to miss out in the ICC Men's ODI XI of the Year