The Indian cricket team squad was selected for the ICC World T20 2021 that will be played in the UAE, but remarkably there is not a single player from the Rajasthan Royals franchise.
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The Indian cricket team squad for the ICC World T20 2021 was picked on Wednesday. The big news was the omission of Yuzvendra Chahal and the return of Ravichandran Ashwin. There was no Shikhar Dhawan and Kuldeep Yadav as well. But, the return of Ashwin after four years was a welcome move after he was not selected in four of the Tests in England. But, the even bigger news was the return of MS Dhoni back in the Indian cricket team not as a player, but as a mentor.
After the end of the five-Test series against England, the Indian players will embark on the IPL which will resume on September 19. The first part of the IPL was played in India but the coronavirus pandemic was at its peak. With close to one month in the UAE before the tournament, India looks like the favorites to break their ICC jinx. This section of the IPL will be very closely monitored for the form of the players selected. While one franchise has gotten a good amount of players, there is one franchise that has not had any representation in the side. Here is a break-up of the side according to the IPL franchises.
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, Mohd Shami.
Standby players – Shreyas Iyer, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar
Delhi Capitals: There are four players in the Indian side from Delhi Capitals. Rishabh Pant is the captain of the Delhi side while Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, and Shreyas Iyer are all part of the side. Ashwin and Axar have been in great form for Delhi Capitals in the last two years. Axar has been economical with the ball and great with the bat. Ashwin is a legend while Pant has been the heir-apparent after MS Dhoni’s retirement. Shreyas Iyer’s dislocated shoulder during the England series hurt his chances. With the Indian batting now totally filled with talent, any lapse in form or injury could prove to be fatal. Iyer’s hopes now rest on his great performance in the IPL.
Mumbai Indians: There is a saying that ‘A strong Mumbai means strong Indian cricket.’ Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Rahul Chahar, and Jasprit Bumrah all play for five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians. Suryakumar has been in brilliant form in ODIs and T20Is while Ishan Kishan has hit fifties on T20I and ODI debut. Hardik Pandya is an accomplished all-rounder while Jasprit Bumrah is one of the best bowlers in the world. With Bumrah, Suryakumar, Rohit, and Hardik in the fray, the batting of the Indian team is in great hands. Chahar, on the other hand, might be the spinner to look out for in ICC World T20 2021 in the UAE.
Chennai Super Kings: The three-time IPL champions also have representation. Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar and Ravindra Jadeja are the three members in the team. Surprisingly, both Thakur and Deepak Chahar are on the standby list. Thakur has been on form in the England Test series. In the previous game at The Oval, he hit two fifties and took three wickets. Lord Shardul was the center of attention on social media as his exploits ensured India do not lose a series in England. Deepak Chahar was great in the ODIs against Sri Lanka, contributing with both bat and ball. Ravindra Jadeja, who is now a vital member of the Test team, will be expected to play a big role in the World T20.
Punjab Kings: There are two players in the Indian cricket team from the Punjab Kings side. KL Rahul and Mohammed Shami have endured a good run in England. Rahul hit a century in Lord’s and has been great in giving support to Rohit Sharma. Shami has been good in patches and his spells will be very keenly watched during IPL 2021.
Kolkata Knight Riders: There is only one player in the team from KKR and that is Varun Chakravarthy. For the past couple of seasons, Chakravarthy has been plagued by fitness issues and injury. One will hope that he overcomes all these hurdles and become a bowler with an X-factor in the tournament.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Even the 2016 IPL champions have only one player in the Indian team and that is Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The veteran has had a torrid time with injuries. But, his spells during the limited-overs series in Sri Lanka were an indication that India will need his experience. Bhuvneshwar’s death-overs experience, combined with the brilliance of Bumrah, can perhaps plug the one potential weakness in the Indian cricket team.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: It is obvious that Virat Kohli was going to make it into the squad. Despite his two-year drought, his averages in limited-overs cricket are simply phenomenal. Although, it was a slight surprise that Mohammed Siraj was not picked in the ICC World T20. His previous performances at the UAE indicate that this omission could prove to be disappointing for the Hyderabad-born speedster.
Rajasthan Royals: Shockingly, the inaugural champions of the IPL do not have a single member from the franchise in the ICC World T20. Sanju Samson could have been one of the players but he has been dropped in favor of Ishan Kishan. With the Rajasthan Royals players lacking slightly on the experience front, their players were not going to get a chance. Chetan Sakariya was in the team for the Sri Lanka matches but he got only one game. Out of the eight franchises, seven have gotten representation with Rajasthan Royals being the only team to miss out.
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