3 players who should have been picked in India's T20 World Cup squad ahead of others

The BCCI announced India's 15-member T20 World Cup 2022 squad on Monday, September. The squad has largely remained unchanged following the Asia Cup 2022, with no drastic changes or surprises.

Rohit Sharma will continue to lead the side with KL Rahul as his deputy. The return of Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel from their respective injuries will boost the side ahead of the global T20 competition.

Speaking of returns, Mohammed Shami comes back into the mix for the T20I setup as a reserve for the major tournament next month.

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The Indian think tank has maintained a consistent squad in the build-up to the tournament and will look to continue doing so in the upcoming series against South Africa and Australia.

However, there have been some players who took their chances and perhaps warranted a place in the squad. Here, we take a look at three players who could have been in the side in place of others.

#1 Mohammed Shami for Bhuvneshwar Kumar

In 2014 and 2021, India selected Shami in their World T20 squads before him playing any T20Is leading upto the event. In fact, Shami made his T20I debut in the 2014 World T20 only. Shami hasn't played any T20I since the last WT20 either. Hope the same mistake isn't committed.

Mohammed Shami has been one of India's most bankable bowlers in the longer formats of the game but hasn't made the same impact in T20Is. He improved his numbers in the shortest format, proving his worth as a wicket-taking option with the new ball, while playing for the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, on the other hand, has been one of India's most successful bowlers in the shortest format. His ability to provide wickets with the new ball, as well as nail yorkers at the death, meant that he was ahead in the pecking order for the Indian side.

The problem with Bhuvneshwar, though, is his pace, or the lack thereof. With conditions in Australia suiting bowlers who can hit the deck hard, Kumar's floaty medium pace at 125-130 kmph might be a lot easier for opposition batters to face as compared to Shami.

India have enough death bowling options with Jasprit Bumrah and one between Harshal Patel and Arshdeep Singh. Hence, it might allow them to use Shami as the enforcer in the bowling lineup, something Bhuvneshwar might not be able to do.

#2 Ravi Bishnoi for Ravichandran Ashwin

No Bishnoi is a big surprise. I think he's out-bowled Chahal quite often in recent times. Glad he's at least part of the reserves, but really deserved a spot in the 15, and in fact the 11. twitter.com/BCCI/status/15…

There are no doubts about the skills and ability of Ravichandran Ashwin. The veteran off-spinner is one of the best at what he does, but it might not be enough to warrant him a place in India's T20 World Cup squad as the main spinner.

The Men in Blue are most likely to start with a lone spinner in Yuzvendra Chahal in their playing XI. The fact that there won't be two spinners playing in most games meant that Ravi Bishnoi was fighting for the same slot at the 35-year-old.

While Ashwin will probably walk into the team if the opposition side has a bunch of left-handers in the side (South Africa), Bishnoi will feel hard done after missing out on a spot in the main squad.

Although they offer different variations, both Ashwin and Bishnoi are predominantly defensive bowlers in the shortest format. The Lucknow Super Giants player could have allowed India to cover up Chahal if he went through a dip in form.

#3 Sanju Samson for Shreyas Iyer

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Sanju Samson and Shreyas Iyer are two bright and excellent T20 players in the Indian setup. However, a packed top-order with KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli means that the likes of Samson and Iyer have had to wait for their chances in the starting XI.

Both players got opportunities in the build-up to the T20 World Cup, but the Indian side persisted with the Kolkata Knight Riders captain at the No.3 slot in the absence of Kohli. He took his opportunities when presented, meaning Samson ultimately had to miss out.

While Iyer scored runs against the West Indies, the question marks surrounding Shreyas' game against the short ball still remain. With bouncier and quicker tracks Down Under, the Mumbai batter's glaring weakness against the short ball could be exposed once again.

Samson, on the other hand, is one of the most technically gifted players in the world. Comfortable equally against pace and spin, few would have expected him to get the nod in the T20 World Cup squad, at least for the reverses, ahead of the likes of Iyer.