The All India Senior Selection Committee has released a 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the UAE on Wednesday. The biggest news from the announcement is that the iconic Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain of India’s winning team in 2007) will be mentoring the team. It’s a huge boost to the players as Dhoni will be the perfect man to guide them.
The other intriguing news is that explosive opener Shikhar Dhawan and leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal have been left out. Here is the official 15-member final squad-
Virat Kohli (Capt), Rohit Sharma (VC), KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami.
We take a look at India’s probable playing eleven for the tournament.
Openers – Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan
Rohit Sharma’s experience combined with the counterattacking Ishan Kishan will be a dangerous combination. Moreover, the left-hand right-hand partnership will be useful as well. Dhawan would be the ideal partner, but Kishan has also shown his worth in the T20I series against England.
Middle-order – Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav and Rishab Pant
This will be a big tournament for captain Virat Kohli. He has the chance to silence his critics once and for all. Kohli was the man of the tournament of the 2016 T20 World Cup, the Indian captain has the responsibility to guide the batting lineup.
Suryakumar Yadav is the surprise package this year. However, those who have followed him in the IPL very well know his talent. Performing consistently for Mumbai Indians, Yadav has rightfully earned his place.
Rishab Pant will have full freedom to express himself which is his strong point, additionally, he will be keeping the wickets.
All-rounders – Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja
In a format like T20 cricket, having good all-rounders is very important. India is lucky to have two solid all-rounders. Hardik Pandya will come in the slog overs and Ravindra Jadeja can provide stability in case of a top-order collapse.
Specialist bowlers – Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s ball swinging abilities provide a different dynamic to the team. Kumar has great control over the ball and can be handy not just with the new ball but also in the death overs.
The yorker specialist Jasprit Bumrah will shoulder the duties with the pacer Mohammed Shami. Both of them are the spearheads of the Indian pace unit. The experienced Ravichandran Ashwin, who will be seen in the limited-overs jersey after four years will use his tricks on the UAE pitches.