5 Major Questions for Team India Ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022
After the early exit of India from Asia Cup 2022, all eyes are on the selectors of BCCI on the squad that they announce for the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 schedule in Australia. You will not get any major surprises in the Team of 15 members. The captain of the squad in Blue is Rohit Sharma, and KL Rahul plays the role of his deputy. However, the in-form of Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav still exist in their places. Deepak Hooda also wins to get a spot on the Indian Team, despite his recent failures. Instead of Ravindra Jadeja, you will see the left-arm spinning all-rounder Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya. Furthermore, as the leading all-rounder of the Indian Team of T20 World Cup 2022.
It includes four fast bowlers, with Arshdeep Singh piping Avesh Khan for the fourth slot. The experience of Ravichandran Ashwin has been preferred for the spin department over the vitality of Ravi Bishnoi. The Indian Team is preparing for the World T20 Cup 2022 by playing three T20s against the World Champions Australia. The squad of 15 men in Blue announces just days after the disappointing Asia Cup 2022 campaign. Furthermore, leaving India with more questions than answers. Here are the 5 major questions for the Indian Team ahead of World Cup T20 2022.
Who will India play as a Wicketkeeper Batter?
It is one of the most important and major questions for the Indian Team. However, these big question marks cause massive confusion in the Indian Cricket Camp. Dinesh Karthik is famous for DK picking as the perfect finisher in Team India for Asia Cup 2022. Yet, he faces just a single delivery in the entire series. He bowls more deliveries as compared to the deliveries that he faces.
On the other hand, Pant plays three knocks and again disappoints every Indian. He scores 14, 17, and 20*. Therefore, he also faces criticism over his inclusion ahead of Sanju Samson's. Still, India wants to back Pant, ahead or after Dinesh Karthik, which is the major question.
The second part of the question is also a very important concern for Team India ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. However, this debate has been going on since the T20 series against Soth Africa. You can find out who is the better option between Pant and Karthik. Pant has been given ample chances in T20s. Still he has not capable of hitting top gear yet in the shortest format of cricket. The strike rate of Pant is 127, with an average of 24 in 58 T20 matches. Apart5 from this, it is also a fact that leaving him out of the playing XI means the Indian squad won't have any left-hand batters in the top five. On the other hand, Karthik is the perfect side finisher, and his IPL exploits have given him this niche role.
Should India Afford To Drop Virat Kohli From T20 World Cup Squad?
Virat Kholi is a good experience playing for the Indian cricket team. However, the lack of form has become the big talking point. It is also one of the biggest concerns with the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 schedule this year in Australia. The chief selectors of the Indian cricket team leave the spot of Kholi alone for now as he is not a part of the final 15. Therefore, the Indian Team needs the experience of Virat Kholi very badly. In 2022, he played four T20 matches for India and scored 17, 52, 1, and 11. Keep in mind that the last two scores came against England.
There was a time when one could not look beyond Virat at the number 3 spot in T20. Kholi was the quintessential pivot, keeping the innings together with his skills to rotate the strike and score the runs very fast. Deepak Hooda's scores run for India in the top order, and his strike rate has been top-notch, which makes the matter more difficult. In fact in the last 10 T20 innings of Virat Kholi he scores 77, 1, 80,57,9,2,17,52,1 and 11. So, if you go just by the numbers, you would say how Virat can be dropped when he has 4 fifties in his last 10 matches. In addition to this, also remember that 6 of these matches were played last year. That's why you will see a stark contrast between then and now.
The young cricket star of the Indian cricket team Deepak Hooda has come into his own in his last few matches. In addition, he will prove that firepower at the top is especially required in the T20 matches. What makes matters worse for Kholi is that the Indian Team has finally realized that they require to attack from the get-go to have the best chance of posting scores of 180 to 200 constantly. No one can ever debate the overall performance of Kholi as he has played 98 T20 matches so far in which he scores 3287 runs at an average of 50.72 with a strike rate of 137.84.
When it comes to this year's performance of Kholi, there is a big question Do the BCCI chief selectors want to give a long rope to him in the shortest format? So, there is a big question for India: Should they afford to drop Virat Kohli from ICC T20 World Cup 2022 Squad? Of course, benching Virat is very difficult, as the fans would become vocal, and there might be pundits who might criticize the move left, right, and center. However, Hooda shows his form, and Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya get the job done in the middle order. Therefore the pressure will grow on Virat.
Can Hardik Pandya be India's Third Seamer?
It is also a big question mark. Hardik Pandya was again the third seamer in the Asia Cup 2022. Apart from the first match against Pakistan, he didn't look convincing on tour. The batters of Sri Lanka and Pakistan deal with him relatively easily, and his short ball ploy also doesn't work. Especially the performance of Pandya against Pakistan in the Super 4 round has likely raised this question. After the injury, everything went very smoothly for the Indian bowling unit as long as Pandya delivered with the ball alongside his batting.
According to the former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar, Pandya should include a fourth medium pacer in the squad instead of a third. Don't forget that Hardik Pandya gives 44 runs in his 4 overs with just one wicket in the Super 4 match. Therefore, the Indian cricket gurus feel that keeping the all-rounder as the fourth medium pacer will help him bowl less than his quota. India already has four pacers for the ICC T20 World Cup 2022, including Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Harshal Patel, so selectors have to think about it whether there is any place for Pandya as a third seamer.
Should the Indian Team Need To Review Their Aggressive Approach?
Ever since Rohit Sharma becomes the captain of an Indian cricket team, there has been a visible change in the style in which they play T20s. However, the Indian Team had come under criticism in the past. Furthermore, criticism is for their moderate approach to the shortest format of cricket. After the Asia Cup 2022, Indian captain Rohit Sharma clarified that the Indian Team adopted an aggressive approach after last year's T20 World Cup disaster. Their batting policy follows the same template. The fearless approach of the Indian Team worked great against the teams like West Indies and Zimbabwe but unfortunately came a cropper in Asia Cup 2022.
India must consider what they do about it at the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 that will start soon in Australia. Going all out won't be easy against South Africa and Pakistan, or even Bangladesh, for that matter. According to Ravi Shastri, the coach of the Indian Team, it is the right approach. Of course, the Team will lose a few games in between, but if they start winning with this approach, they can take that confidence in big games and use the same strategies. In addition to this, the question is whether India should need to think again over it and show a little bit of restraint or whether they will continue with their current philosophy in T20 World Cup 2022.
Can Axar Patel fill India's Jadeja-shaped hole In ICC T20 World Cup 2022?
It is very difficult to recall the most significant hours of Axar Patel as a cricketer. As an all-rounder, he picks up 80 IPL wickets and a hat-trick. He always looks to operate in the shadows. The playing style of Axar matches Ravindra Jadeja, the all-format superstar of India. Therefore, he also selects the Asia Cup 2022 squad to replace Jadeja. However, India didn't take him as a left-arm spinning all-rounder option.
Ravindra Jadeja, the Indian all-rounder, is ruling out of the T20 World Cup 2022 with a knee injury, and Axar Patel is replacing him in the squad. However, Axar includes in the main squad of India for T20 World Cup as he can bowl inside the powerplay, unlike Jadeja. Rohit Sharma, the Indian captain, often uses Axar inside the powerplay in recent times. In addition, Jadeja is often expensive when bowling to left-hand batters. Instead, Axar becomes the potent option against right-hand batters with his incoming deliveries. He bowls at pace, beats them off the pitch, and often gets them to bowl or LBWS.
Furthermore, he cramps the left-hand batters by using his angle and height well.
There is no doubt that the 28 years old young guy is a good bettor, bowler, and safe fielder, although not to the same extent as Jadeja. Axar has delivered the goods so many times in recent matches, whether with the ball or the bat. Undoubtedly, he has some potential, but the major question again crops up. Questions arises will the Indian selectors trust him for ICC T20 World Cup 2022 as a like-for-like replacement for Jadeja?
India Needs Wise Team Selection:
In the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, India reaches UAE as the top contender to lift the Asia Cup 2022. However, the Team's dreams receive a major blow after consecutive losses in the Super Four Stages of the tournament. Instead, the lackluster campaign of the Indian Team raises some serious questions before the all-important ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. Besides the losses in Asia Cup 2022, Captain Rohit Sharma believes these are not panic stations just yet. Whether the captain agrees or not, India has some serious issues on the side. Therefore, the captain and the coach of the Indian Team need to sort out before the mega event.
Of course, the team selection of India during the Asia Cup has been very difficult to understand since the injury of Ravindra Jadeja. However, Axar Patel replaces the star all-rounder, but he can't play as the selectors expect from him. Undoubtedly, replacing a player like Jadeja is very difficult. Still, his knee injury management had ample time to find a replacement.
In the absence of Jadeja, the Team needs a left-hand batter to counter the spinners during the middle over. So they chose to include Rishabh Pant in Asia Cup, but he also didn't look convincing. Moreover, Deepak Hooda selects over Dinesh Kartik in the last few matches because he can bowl a few. It will give an extra option to the Indian captain, but he didn't bowl at all.
Conclusion:
India was an early exit from the Asia Cup 2022, and undoubtedly it was a big upset for the nation. However, they are now ready with full potential for the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. The names of the 15 men Indian squad for the big event have been announced. Of course, there were not so many major surprises on the Team. This event gives the Rohit Sharma led-side another chance to fix the remaining puzzle of the Asia Cup.