"India won't go to the T20 World Cup as favorites" - RP Singh
Former Indian cricketer RP Singh feels that after a disappointing Asia Cup 2022 campaign, Team India won't be the favorites at the start of the T20 World Cup Down Under in October. The Men in Blue won just a solitary game in the Super 4 phase and failed to make it to the final of the Asia Cup.
India crashed out before the knockout phase of last year's T20 World Cup as well in yet another below-par showing.
Singh pointed out that India need to start playing a settled team in the upcoming series against Australia and South Africa.
"After their performance in the Asia Cup, India won't go to the T20 World Cup as favorites. If you really want to earn that trophy, you need to do minimal changes in the squad and back the 11-12 players in the upcoming games against Australia and South Africa. If you continue to shuffle, it will only cause more confusion," Singh told India TV Cricket on Saturday.
RP Singh picks Team India's T20 World Cup squad
Most of the squad that RP Singh picked for the T20 World Cup were obvious choices. However, there were two names that could be quite surprising — pacer Mohammed Shami and left-arm leg-spinner Kuldeep Yadav.
Happy Birthday to one of only two Indians to take a World Cup hat-trick 🏏
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The 36-year-old also kept KL Rahul on the bench as he feels the current Indian vice-captain might not find a place in the XI.
Explaining the reasons for his selections, RP Singh stated:
"I will pick Shami because the pace and bounce will help him bowl back of a length which is his strength. I have also added Kuldeep Yadav because even he can exploit the bounce factor in Australia. KL Rahul might not be in the XI but will definitely be a part of the squad."
RP Singh's squad: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Mohammad Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, KL Rahul, Deepak Chahar.
Reserves: Deepak Hooda, Sanju Samson, Ravichandran Ashwin