India have trimmed down their T20 World Cup hopefuls for the Asia Cup in UAE, with a couple of incumbents injured.
India not going back to Mohammad Shami and Shardul Thakur despite Jasprit Bumrah’s injury for the Asia Cup T20 and picking only three specialist seamers for the assignment in UAE laid bair a few specifics.
Taking luxury out of the revival of Hardik Pandya – the four-over bowler, India look set to field a combination of two specialist pacers, two spinners and their premier fast-bowling allrounder at No.6, with Ravindra Jadeja accompanying him at No.7 in the regional competition.
For the T20 World Cup in Australia, India will reincorporate one of their fringe seamers and leave out the extra spinner from their first XI. With Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar playing incumbents, there emerge four clear contenders for the third seamer’s role.
The injured Harshal Patel, rising left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh, the promising but currently faltering Avesh Khan and comeback man Deepak Chahar, who is part of the reserves, are vying for the slot. One of them will walk into the playing XI while one other will be part of the squad. Patel and Singh look likely to get the nod among these options, if fit and available, given the order of preference and performances over the past months.
The days of Shami and Thakur in T20Is seem over, with the two bowlers losing the trust of the decision-makers after their costly appearance at the World Cup in UAE last year. Thakur gives India some extra powerhitting muscle at No.8 but little of substance and quality with the ball. Shami maybe a decent powerplay option on good days, with wicket-taking value, but goes hiding at the death when rampaging batters expose his one-dimensionality.
With four specialist seamers plus Pandya, and Jadeja at 7, India can manage with two spinners for an Australian World Cup. Yuzvendra Chahal looks set to board the flight Down Under as the first choice – why, he was rested from the West Indies T20Is, with R Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi and Kuldeep Yadav getting some game time. Two of them are travelling to UAE for the Asia Cup, but only one is likely to board the flight to Australia.
Making a return to the field after months, Ashwin looked in control with the ball in the Caribbean. He picked up only three wickets but went for 6.66 an over. His scalps included those of the dangerous Nicholas Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer.
Ashwin had a fruitful IPL 2022, playing the defensive option to the aggressor in Chahal for Rajasthan Royals (RR). The Chahal-Ashwin duet is one that the team management appear likely to replicate in Australia at this stage, as head coach Rahul Dravid look to cover all basis with their range and experience.
Bishnoi, who has clearly pipped Kuldeep in the pecking order, may have to wait for his opportunities. With Bishnoi’s conventional angle aiding more of the doosra than the legbreak, the think-tank is unlikely to pick two spinners who bring the ball into the right-hander.
On the batting front, India look set to field their T20 World Cup top 7 at the Asia Cup in UAE. Comeback man KL Rahul regains his spot at the top alongside skipper Rohit Sharma, followed by Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant in the middle order and Hardik-Jadeja duo offering India explosiveness and stability at 6 and 7.
India may have a headache up their sleeves to accommodate Dinesh Karthik in the first XI unless they’re willing to drop one of their three middle-order incumbents, of whom Kohli, with his longstanding spin struggles at No.3, looks the most vulnerable of the lot.
India also have a backup in Deepak Hooda, a flexible batter, who can move and down to replace either Kohli or Jadeja in specific roles with the utility he brings to the table.
It would be ignorant not to expect minimal changes from the Asia Cup touring party, as India have dropped perhaps the strongest hint of the squad they will take to the T20 World Cup in Australia.
