5 Indian players who missed out on T20 World Cup 2021 but can make a comeback in T20 WC 2022
India's T20 World Cup 2021 campaign ended with a win against Namibia in the Super 12 round earlier this week. Despite recording a hat-trick of victories in their last three matches, the Indian cricket team crashed out of the tournament before the semifinals began.
The Men in Blue finished third in the Group 2 standings with six points from five matches. Their defeats against Pakistan and New Zealand cost them a place in the semifinals.
Several fans and cricket experts felt India missed some of their match-winners in the T20 World Cup 2021. But with another T20 World Cup set to happen next year in Australia, the following five players could make a comeback to the Indian squad for the mega event in 2022.
1. Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan is known for his fantastic record in ICC tournaments. However, the left-handed opener did not find a spot in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2021.
Many fans considered him an important member of the Indian squad, especially because he led the team in Sri Lanka earlier this year. Given how well he has performed for the Delhi Capitals in the IPL, one cannot rule out Dhawan's comeback to the Indian squad.
2. Yuzvendra Chahal
Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal was surprisingly ignored for the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. He was India's number one spinner on the road to the mega event, but the selectors preferred Rahul Chahar over him.
India missed Chahal's services during the Super 12 games against Pakistan and New Zealand. It should not be a surprise if he leads the Indian spin attack in the T20 World Cup 2022.
3. T Natarajan
India's pace attack lacked variety in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. All the pace-bowling options available in the team and the reserves were right-arm pace bowlers.
A left-arm fast bowler like T Natarajan could have helped India a lot. Looking at his performances in Australia last year, Natarajan will be in the race to become part of the Indian T20 World Cup 2022 squad.
4. Shreyas Iyer
Like Yuzvendra Chahal, Shreyas Iyer was a player who played T20I cricket regularly for India on the road to the T20 World Cup 2021. However, the selectors did not pick him in the final 15.
Iyer was part of the reserves but did not get a single match. The right-handed batter will be keen to regain his place in the squad by performing well in the upcoming T20Is. He could be a match-winner for India in the next T20 World Cup.
5. Washington Sundar
Unlike the previous names on this list, Washington Sundar missed the T20 World Cup 2021 because of injury. Sundar fractured his finger during a warm-up match in England. Due to the injury, the Tamil Nadu all-rounder missed IPL 2021's second phase as well.
Sundar is expected to be fit soon and should walk into the Indian team after recovery. When he was playing regularly for the Men in Blue, Sundar was India's number one ranked bowler in the ICC T20I Rankings. His presence could help India a lot in the T20 World Cup 2022.