3 members of India's 2021 T20 World Cup squad who have fallen off the radar completely
India's performances in the 2021 T20 World Cup are remembered for a variety of reasons, with most of them painting the side in a negative light. The memories of Shaheen Shah Afridi ripping through the Indian top order and New Zealand strangling the Indian batters with ease are still fresh.
Immediately after the marquee ICC event, the BCCI and the selectors came under severe criticism for their unconventional selection policies. A year down the line, most of the members of India's 2021 T20 World Cup squad are still key cogs in the format. However, others have drifted into the wilderness.
Here are three members of India's 2021 T20 World Cup squad who have fallen off the radar completely.
#3 Mohammad Shami
Like most of India's players at the 2021 T20 World Cup, Mohammad Shami was off-color against Pakistan and New Zealand before finding his feet against lesser opposition later in the group stage. Although he continues to be in the mix as far as ODIs and Tests are concerned, the pacer hasn't featured for the country in the shortest format of the game since the T20 World Cup.
Shami is still in the reckoning for a spot on the plane to Australia, but his 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign seemed to suggest that he might not be the man to bowl in all phases of the innings. Primarily used as a new-ball exponent among a slew of middle-overs enforcers at the Gujarat Titans, the 31-year-old excelled in his new franchise by picking up 20 wickets but wasn't the versatile fast bowler he once was.
Shami's pace, bounce and control could come in handy in Australia, but he really needs to get some games under his belt in T20Is. With pace options like Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh making genuine cases to partner Jasprit Bumrah in attack, Shami needs to prove himself if and when he plays T20Is again.
#2 Rahul Chahar
Picked for the 2021 T20 World Cup ahead of Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar played only one game (against Namibia) in which he went wicketless in four overs. As India's spin attack struggled to produce the goods, both during and in the lead-up to the tournament, Chahar was unfortunately thrust under the scanner for little fault of his own.
Chahal is almost indispensable now, with Ravi Bishnoi and Kuldeep Yadav being the supporting wrist-spinners. In such a scenario, it isn't surprising that Chahar - like Shami - hasn't featured for India since the T20 World Cup. Although the young leg-spinner is on the back of a fairly productive IPL campaign with the Punjab Kings, it might be a while before he tastes international cricket again.
#1 Varun Chakravarthy
India took a brave call ahead of the 2021 T20 World Cup by opting to unleash a wild card in the form of Varun Chakravarthy, who had played only three international games ahead of the tournament. While the idea was bold and could've come off, it ended with the mystery spinner losing his place in the side after three uneventful matches in which he didn't scalp a single wicket.
Chakravarthy was probably not ready for the international level, as evidenced by his underwhelming IPL campaign for the Kolkata Knight Riders. Often expensive and inconsistent, he lost his place in the playing XI and generated barely any wicket-taking threat. It's tough to envision the spinner making an Indian comeback in the near future.