3 Indian players for whom it might be the last T20 World Cup
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday, September 12, announced its 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, which will start in Australia next month.
Young spinner Ravi Bishnoi was the only surprising exclusion from India's T20 World Cup squad, with the selectors picking Ravichandran Ashwin ahead of him. Avesh Khan, who had a dismal Asia Cup 2022 campaign, failed to make the cut.
Arshdeep Singh, whose death-over prowess earned plaudits, was included to add variety to India's pace attack, which included three right-arm pacers.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami, Shreyas Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi, and Deepak Chahar were named standbys.
India's T20 World Cup squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, and Arshdeep Singh.
Standby players - Mohammed Shami, Shreyas Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi, and Deepak Chahar.
changes in their squad since the last T20 World Cup 🏏
India have made 6️⃣ changes in their squad since the last T20 World Cup 🏏
Would you have made any different changes in the current squad? 🤔
#India #TeamIndia #T20WorldCup2022 #CricketTwitter https://t.co/lTivM4qIB0
This Indian squad has a good mix of youth and experience. While a few players will be part of the T20 World Cup for the first time, the upcoming edition might be the last for some others.
On that note, let's take a look at three Indian cricketers for whom the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022 might be the last.
#3 Dinesh Karthik
Dreams do come true 💙
Dinesh Karthik was not in the reckoning for the Indian team until IPL 2022. However, a superlative outing in the tournament, where he scored 330 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of over 175, saw him return to the national side.
The veteran wicketkeeper-batter, who was part of India's first-ever T20I match in 2006, fared well upon his return to the Indian team and was even picked ahead of Rishabh Pant in their Asia Cup 2022 opener against Pakistan.
This might be Karthik's last T20 World Cup, given that he is already 37. With the next marquee T20 competition scheduled to take place in 2024, it is unlikely that the Tamil Nadu-born cricketer will be part of that edition.
Karthik has so far featured in 50 T20Is, scoring 592 runs at a strike rate of almost 140.
#2 Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been an ardent servant of the Men in Blue over the years. He can bowl both in the powerplay and at the death, which makes him a captain's delight.
His form witnessed a dip in the recently concluded Asia Cup 2022, where he was taken to the cleaners in the death overs. However, the selectors still have full faith in his abilities and have named him in India's T20 World Cup squad.
With injury troubling him a lot over the last few years, Bhuvneshwar is unlikely to participate in the next edition of the T20 World Cup.
#1 Ravichandran Ashwin
People question Ravichandran Ashwin's place in India's T20 World Cup squad are forgetting that he has 14 wkts in the last 10 T20Is for India at an Econ of 6.10, which is the best among Indian spinners with a min. of 10 wkts since 2021.
He is the best defensive spinner India has.
Ashwin has worked tirelessly on his game and made a comeback into India's white-ball setup.
Given his ability to contain batters in the middle overs, the off-spinner was preferred ahead of Bishnoi. He has an economy rate of 6.10 in the last 10 T20Is, which is the best among Indian spinners with a minimum of 10 wickets since 2021.
While he is a great choice for the upcoming T20 World Cup, the veteran cricketer is unlikely to feature in the ensuing editions.