India’s T20 World Cup squad: What gaps remain in the 15-member lineup

The BCCI ended the suspense surrounding India’s squad for the T20 World Cup , unveiling the 15 on Tuesday, 30 April.

While there will be plenty of familiar faces in the showpiece T20 event that takes place in the month of June, from skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to Hardik Pandya, who has been named vice-captain, the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal and Sanju Samson have been rewarded for their consistency in recent assignments after largely being overlooked for past ICC events.

The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee have also included a new face in opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has had a meteoric rise since making his debut on the West Indies tour last year.

At the same time, the selectors and the senior leadership decided to move on from senior wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul, whose strike rate in the shortest format had been a point of concern, leaving him out of the squad entirely after having included him for the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cups.

While the Indian squad picked for the World Cup was largely along expected lines keeping recent events, including Rohit and Kohli’s return to T20Is in January, in mind, there still are a few gaps that remain in the squad which could potentially become an issue.

We take a more detailed look at said gaps below:

Rinku’s omission

Rinku Singh getting snubbed for the T20 World Cup has been perhaps the single-biggest talking point since India’s squad was announced on Tuesday. Plenty of experts and fans have since expressed unhappiness over what they perceive to be an unjust treatment meted to one of India’s most promising talents in recent years and one who appeared tailor-made for the shortest format.

Rinku had been rewarded with an India debut on the Ireland tour shortly after his red-hot run in last year’s IPL, and has been one of India’s finest batters in the shortest format, collecting 356 runs in 15 outings at a stunning average of 89 and economy of 176.23. That includes rescuing the Men in Blue from tight situations as well as finishing matches for his team.

Also Read | Rinku axed as selectors opt for experience and IPL form

The Uttar Pradesh batter has been going through a lean patch in the ongoing IPL, collecting just 123 runs at an average of 20.50, though still striking at 150. However, that doesn’t quite justify leaving out someone of Rinku’s potential from the main squad.

Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja was always going to get the push for the T20 World Cup as a spin-bowling all-rounder and while he is an economical option for the middle overs and lethal on spin-friendly surfaces besides being one of the world’s best fielders, his strike rate has been a bit of a concern. His unbeaten 57 off 40 balls for Chennai Super Kings in the away match against Lucknow Super Giants drew plenty of criticism and a similar knock in the World Cup might not necessarily help the team’s cause.

India have proven finishers in Shivam Dube, Pandya and even wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant. Who’s to say Rinku’s inclusion in place of Jadeja would’ve hurt the team’s chances.

Arshdeep and Siraj’s form

Agarkar and Co decided to play it safe with the bowling unit and went with the tried-and-tested Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh as the pace options alongside Jasprit Bumrah.

While Bumrah remains a lethal force in all three formats and can be relied upon not only for four economical overs but to get breakthroughs in both powerplay and death overs, there are doubts over Siraj’s and Arshdeep’s form taking their recent performances into account.

While Siraj has been superb in Tests and ODIs and was in red-hot form from September to November last year, the same cannot be said of his run in the shortest format, especially taking recent fixtures into account. Arshdeep has taken more wickets than Siraj in the ongoing IPL, but has a tendency to get hammered all over the park, both in the first overs and the last four.

Having a left-arm pacer in a luxury and maybe the selectors could have gone with the more economical T Natarajan, who has been superb at the death, or a powerplay specialist in Khaleel Ahmed. And maybe pick Avesh Khan in the main squad ahead of Siraj instead of relegating him to the reserves.

Lack of a wrist-spin-bowling all-rounder

India have decided to travel to the United States and the Caribbean with four spin options — Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal — and can also bank on opener Yashasvi Jaiswal to send down a couple of overs in the middle stages.

The Men in Blue have included two wrist-spinners in Kuldeep and Chahal, meaning we could witness a KulCha reunion this World Cup, with both in good form and finding themselves in the top 10 wicket-takers list in the ongoing IPL. As for left-arm orthodox spinners Jadeja and Axar, they will be fighting for the all-rounder’s slot, which will likely be at No. 7 with Axar potentially batting higher depending on the match situation.

Wrist-spinners are generally more favoured for the white-ball formats in the modern era than their finger-spinning counterparts, and someone who can wield the willow with authority consistently while mastering this type of spin is often considered an asset for most teams. Wrist-spin-bowling all-rounders such as Rashid Khan, Wanindu Hasaranga and Shadab Khan are among the most sought-after cricketers in T20 leagues all over the world besides being a force for their respective nations, and this is one department where India continue to play catch-up with other teams.

An in-form third seamer

India decided to include both Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube as the seam-bowling all-rounders who will be called in to support the Bumrah-led pace department as the third seamer (or fourth, if India end up deploying a pace-heavy attack).

The bowling form of both Pandya and Dube, however, has been far from ideal if one goes strictly by recent performances. Dube has been a destructive force in the CSK middle-order but has not been utilised by the ‘Yellow Army’ as a bowler even once throughout the season.

While Pandya bowled well in Mumbai Indians’ four-wicket loss against Lucknow Super Giants, finishng the pick of the MI bowlers with figures of 2/26, he had been hammered for 41 runs in two wicketless overs by the Delhi Capitals over the weekend. And before that, he had gone for 21 runs in two overs against the Rajasthan Royals. So while Pandya has the potential to get breakthroughs in the middle overs, his recent form doesn’t really inspire confidence.