3 Indian players from the 2022 T20 World Cup who have already been replaced
The 2022 ICC T20 World Cup ended on a rather disappointing note for India as the Rohit Sharma led side was thrashed by England in the semi-final. The loss extended India's ICC tournament drought, which has been a subject of huge interest. India have now gone almost 10 years without winning a world tournament, with their last victory coming in the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.
Pundits, ex-cricketers and fans called for a revamp in India's T20 side post the debacle and a few changes have already been made. While selectors have maintained that the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul are being rested from the T20Is for now, there are others who are no longer in the plans. Here, we look at three players from India's 2022 T20 World Cup squad who have been axed from the squad.
#1 Harshal Patel
Harshal Patel earned a call-up to the Indian team on the back of his spectacular run in the 2021 IPL for Royal Challengers Bangalore. He won the Purple Cap to end the season as the leading wicket taker with 32 scalps to his name. He couldn't make it to the 2021 T20 World Cup Squad on the back of fitness issues, but another good IPL season in 2022 ensured that he was on the plane to Australia for the 2022 tournament.
What’s the update on Harshal Patel? Is he still nursing an injury? He was our T20 specialist leading into the World Cup…didn’t get to play in Aus. Haven’t seen him since. #IndvNZ
However, Patel lost form and was quite expensive in the games that India played in the lead up to the World Cup. Consequently, he fell out of the pecking order and the 'T20 Specialist' did not even feature in a single game in Australia. Post the World Cup, he was included in India's squad for the T20I series against New Zealand and Sri Lanka but had another expensive outing. He was then axed from the squad that was named for the ongoing series against New Zealand and it seems like the faith that he had earned is now gone.
#2 Dinesh Karthik
Not many would have given Dinesh Karthik a chance to feature in the 2022 T20 World Cup ahead of the 2022 IPL season. But like he's done many times in the past, Dinesh Karthik proved his detractors wrong yet again. He had a sensational season with the bat, making 330 runs at an unbelievable strike rate of 183.33. He won quite a few games for RCB, courtesy of his destructive finishing skills. His exploits earned him a call-up to the Indian team and he was able to translate his IPL success into a few bilateral games as well.
However, he couldn't really get going in the World Cup Down Under and was subsequently dropped after the game against Bangladesh. Rishabh Pant was favored ahead of him for the remaining games, including the semi-final. Karthik was not a part of the Men in Blue's T20 assignments post the tournament as wel and it seems like the selectors have decided to move on.
#3 Bhuvneshwar Kumar
In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, India required Bhuvneshwar Kumar to have a good campaign in Australia. His form ahead of the tournament was concerning but the management showed faith in him and he repaid the faith by doing a good job for most of the World Cup.
However, he had a poor game against England in the semi-final as he returned figures of 0-25 from two overs. He leaked runs in the powerplay, allowing England to get off to a flyer. England eventually chased the target of 169, with all ten wickets intact. Kumar was picked in the squad for the T20Is against New Zealand but was axed post that and unfortunately for him, he is not a part of the ODI team at the moment either.