T20 World Cup: 5 players unlucky to miss out on the 15-member India squad
Follow Us
Yuzvendra Chahal and Shreyas Iyer
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has named the national squad for the upcoming 2021 T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The 15-member roster consisted of several surprising picks and misses as it also marked the comeback of Ravichandran Ashwin, who hasn’t played any white-ball game for India in the last four years.
The inclusion of Axar Patel also surprised many cricket fans and experts as Ravindra Jadeja was already there in the squad, who is a similar kind of player. On the other hand, there were plenty of players who might consider themselves unlucky to miss out on the team bus for the 2021 T20 WC.
1. Yuzvendra Chahal
The most unfortunate player whose name was not there on the team list was leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal. The 31-year-old has done exceptionally well in the limited-overs formats in the last few years. He is also the leading wicket-getter for team India in the 20-over cricket. However, selectors have picked youngster Rahul Chahar over Chahal, owing to the former’s superior current form.
2. Shreyas Iyer
Middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer also failed to make it to the national squad for the multi-nation tournament. The Mumbai cricketer has been out of action since the home series against England where he picked a shoulder injury. However, he had recovered after undergoing surgery and made himself available for the selection as well. His name is currently present amongst the three stand-by players for T20 WC.
3. Shardul Thakur
All-rounder Shardul Thakur has punched above his weight each time he has taken the field in national colours. Everyone was expecting his name in the 15-member squad, especially after a stellar performance in the ongoing Test series in England. Apart from this, he has done well across formats for the past couple of years. However, the 29-year-old had to be satisfied after being one of the reserve players only.
4. Deepak Chahar
Deepak Chahar has been one of the most consistent players in T20 cricket. The find of former India skipper MS Dhoni at the IPL franchise of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Chahar is one of the finest new-ball swing bowlers in world cricket. Moreover, the Agra-born stamped his utility with the bat as well during the recently-concluded limited-overs series against Sri Lanka. Just like Iyer and Thakur, he is a reserve player for the 2021 T20 WC.
5. Washington Sundar
Washington Sundar was all set to play at the mega event before he recently picked a finger injury. The spin-bowling all-rounder has been ruled out from professional cricket till the second phase of the IPL 2021 in the UAE. The selectors didn’t take any risk and picked R Ashwin for a similar role in place of Sundar.
Some other big players who were unable to find their names in the national squad include the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Kuldeep Yadav, and T Natarajan. The trio has been in and out of the team India for the past couple of years.
Stay Updated!
Sachin Arora
(2527 Articles Published)