With New Zealand and Australia having already announced their squads for the 2021 T20 World Cup, the buzz for the edition is slowly but surely rising. Sarah Waris take a look at the potential 15-member squad for the India team for the event that will be staged in the UAE and Oman in October-November.

Openers

Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan

Rohit Sharma is a must-have in the white-ball team, while KL Rahul’s form in the last two editions of the IPL warrants a selection. There could be a toss-up between Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw in the side, but the former is expected to edge ahead because of his past showings in ICC events. He also allows India to field a left-right combination at the top of the order. With Virat Kohli also an option for an opener, Prithvi Shaw might have to miss the bus.

Middle-order

Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav

IPL star Suryakumar Yadav is almost certain of a place in the XI after a bumper start to his international career. Kohli can be an option to open, but he might want to bat at his usual number three position considering the pool of players India have for the spot. With KL Rahul capable of batting in the middle-order as well, there might not be a place for Shreyas Iyer in the squad unless he has a cracking IPL season.

Wicketkeepers

Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant has evolved his game in the last few months and is expected to be the first-choice keeper in the XI. Ishan Kishan, who made his debut for India earlier this year, and Sanju Samson, while being impact players, run the risk of going through inconsistent patches, with such period emerging in the opportunities that have been given to him, both for the Men in Blue as well as in the IPL. With India already having a backup keeper in Rahul, the chances of Kishan or Samson making the squad look bleak.

All-rounders

Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja

Hardik Pandya has not been bowling of late due to injury issues and has been in substandard form with the bat, but his past heroics and the balance he brings could ensure that he is a must-have in the squad. Ravindra Jadeja offers great batting depth, while Washington Sundar’s ability to bowl in the powerplay overs edges him ahead of Kuldeep Yadav in the side.

Spinners

Rahul Chahar, Yuzvendra Chahal

The big miss is Varun Chakravarthy, who was expected to bamboozle rivals with his mystery spin in the upcoming T20 World Cup. However, he still looked like he was slowly getting accustomed to international cricket on the recent Sri Lanka tour, and with Yuzvendra Chahal’s improved showing in the same series, Chakravarthy might have to wait his turn. Kuldeep Yadav had blown hot-and-cold against Sri Lanka and might be unlucky to miss out.

Fast bowlers

Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami

The trio of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar and Jasprit Bumrah is certain to make the side. It could be a toss-up between Navdeep Saini and Mohammed Shami, and the latter could end up winning the spot based on his experience. Shami has done well in recent years to establish himself as an all-format bowler, who can keep the outsmart batsmen with his change of pace, surprise bounce, and clever use of yorkers.

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