3 players who have joined Team India as net bowlers for T20 World Cup 2022
The ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia will get underway on October 16 with a battle between Sri Lanka and Namibia. Team India will play their first match on October 23 against Pakistan in the Super 12 stage of the competition.
Ahead of the mega event, the 14 men named in the Indian squad have landed in Australia. Team India also participated in a practice match against Western Australia XI, where they registered a 13-run victory.
The BCCI is yet to finalize the 15th member of the squad. Jasprit Bumrah was initially picked, but the fast bowler suffered an injury just a few days before the team's departure to Australia. As a result, he was ruled out of the T20 World Cup.
According to reports, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj have traveled to Australia as reserve players for Team India. One of them will replace Bumrah in the main squad.
The BCCI has also decided to send three more players to Australia to help the Indian batters with their practice sessions in the nets. Here is the full list of net bowlers for Team India's ICC T20 World Cup 2022 campaign.
#1 Chetan Sakariya
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Saurashtra's left-arm fast bowler Chetan Sakariya has been traveling with the Indian squad in Australia ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022. Sakariya is one of the three net bowlers present in the Indian contingent.
In case you didn't know, Sakariya played a lot of matches in Australia earlier this year. He joined the Sunshine Coast team in the KFC T20 Max competition in Queensland. Sakariya would have got an idea of the conditions in Australia, which is why the BCCI might have selected him as a net bowler.
Furthermore, the Indian batters have struggled against left-arm fast bowlers in international matches. Facing Sakariya's deliveries in the nets will help the Indian players work on their weaknesses.
#2 Mukesh Choudhary
Along with Sakariya, Mukesh Choudhary also played in the KFC T20 Max series earlier this year. He received a contract from the Wynnum Manly team. Mukesh is yet to play international cricket, but he was quite impressive in the IPL 2022 season.
Playing for the Chennai Super Kings team, Mukesh scalped 16 wickets in 13 matches, including one four-wicket haul. If he impresses the coaches and the Indian players with his bowling in the nets, the left-arm pacer could make his international debut in the near future.
#3 Saurabh Kumar
Not many Indian T20 fans would know about Saurabh Kumar because he has never played in the IPL. Saurabh is a left-arm spinner from Uttar Pradesh who has scalped 222 wickets in 52 first-class matches. He has helped the Indian Test batters in the nets before.
According to a report by Cricbuzz, Umran Malik and Kuldeep Sen were initially slated to fly to Australia as net bowlers for the T20 World Cup 2022. However, due to visa issues, both of them had to stay back.
Sakariya and Saurabh have replaced Malik and Sen as India's net bowlers for the T20 World Cup 2022.