5 contenders for the Indian pace-attack at ICC T20 World Cup
As the ICC T20 WC is approaching, the Indian Cricket Team management has been the lookout for the perfect squad. While the batting looks settled with the likes of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, skipper Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer, the eyes are on the bunch of bowlers that are to be picked. Jasprit Bumrah is a no-brainer and Deepak Chahar gave every sign of cementing his place in the squad to travel Australia for the mega event. With pitches to assist the seamers, more and more options have been tried out and the coming few months will decide the fate of the Indian pace-attack. Here is a list of 5 contenders that can join the above pair for the utmost T20 tournament.
#5 Khaleel Ahmed
Khaleel Ahmed came into the spotlight with his impressive show at the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) where he deceived the batsmen by swinging the new ball and even stole the show at the death. In 10 IPL matches, the 22-year-old cricketer has scalped 19 wickets at an acceptable economy rate of 8.59, considering all the tough overs that he has bowled.
The Rajasthan bowler got an Indian call-up in 2018 for his consistency at the domestic level and has been in the plans of the selectors since then, though he hasn't cemented his spot yet. If he keeps on knocking the doors of the selectors, with the dearth of left-arm seamers in India, Ahmed might just book his place for the ICC T20 WC.
#4 Shardul Thakur
The Mumbai bowler has been in and out of the Indian team and has got limited opportunities only when the spearheads have been rested. Shardul Thakur has quite a bit of experience at the domestic level. He is a thinking bowler who has impressive variations like yorker, knuckle-ball, and slower cutters up his sleeve. In his short stint with the Indian team, the 28-year-old has picked 8 wickets from 7 T20Is. Wiith an ordinary show in those outings, he was unable to fix his spot yet. He is currently a part of T20Is against Sri Lanka and should grab any opportunity that comes by.
Furthermore, his recent contribution with the bat might go in his favour as the batting depth is essential in the shortest version.
Also read: 3 players India can groom for ICC T20 World Cup 2020