Rahul NareshThere is a lot of expectation from this Indian side travelling to Australia for the T20I World Cup. Their quest for a World Cup triumph continues as the Indians cross a decade since their triumph at the 2011 ODI World Cup.
India had a shaky Asia Cup, but the team followed it up with a brilliant series win against Australia at home.
Here are my top five Team India players to look out for in the upcoming T20I World Cup.
Also read: ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 Sponsors
Virat Kohli
Many have been saying that the Virat Kohli we once knew has returned. Kohli marked his 71st century in international cricket against Afghanistan at the Asia Cup after a wait that lasted for over 1,000 days. Although Kohli had a few reasonable scores in this long period, he was way off his best. Kohli also had a below-average IPL earlier this year and struggled to find his best place in the side.
However, the classy batter from Delhi seems to have found his mojo once again. His displays against Australia, particularly in the third T20I, would have instilled more confidence in the Indian support.
The Indian batting lineup looks settled at the moment, and Kohli seems comfortable in his No. 3 spot.
Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik is one of the biggest lookouts for this T20I World Cup. The former Tamil Nadu captain and the most experienced campaigner this World Cup, Karthik looks in brilliant nick entering the last phase of his career. On several occasions, he has admitted that he has been working incredibly hard at becoming a proper T20 finisher, and that hard work is now paying off.
The wicketkeeper-batter had a stellar IPL 2022, and that form has led eventually him to be picked for the T20I World Cup. If the Australia series is anything to go by, one must not be surprised to see DK picked over Rishabh Pant as the wicketkeeper in the Indian starting XI. The generation of fans who saw DK play different roles throughout his career will be eager to see him do well in the coming World Cup.
Suryakumar Yadav
You cannot look past Suryakumar Yadav when making a list of players to look out for in any tournament. “SKY” has been India’s most dependable player over the last few months. His unorthodox approach to batting and his ability to hit the ball sweetly have brought him into the Indian fold.
SKY will enter his second World Cup experience with the national team, and expectations will now be much greater after seeing some brilliant performances from the right-hander over the last few months.
Harshal Patel
Today, the IPL has become such a big deal, some would argue that picking players for the national team comes through performances in the IPL over First-class cricket.
Harshal Patel has been exceptional in the last two seasons of the IPL for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Entrusted with the duty of bowling the final overs of the game, Patel has taken to the challenge and has excelled by picking up crucial wickets for his side at the death.
However, Patel took quite the beating from the Aussies in the first two T20I games in the series gone by. This resulted in Team India captain Rohit Sharma reducing his quota of overs in the third game. It will be interesting to watch if Patel is trusted on faster wickets that one will find in Australia to close games out. If he is played over Arshdeep Singh, Patel will surely be one to look out for in this coming World Cup.
Yuzvendra Chahal
Finally, the leggy Yuzvendra Chahal will also be my one-to-watch in the coming World Cup. Surfaces in Australia are not spinner-friendly, though, and to stand out in a tournament that will have a sea of leg-spinners will be difficult. Yuzi was out of the Indian set-up for a while but has returned strong through his performances in the recent IPL. His ability and confidence to take the ball towards the end of games for the Rajasthan Royals show his willingness to do the tricky bits for the team.
Chahal’s return to Indian colours has not been extraordinary, but expectations will undoubtedly be high as the team travel to Australia. In a tournament where Chahal will be compared to the likes of Adam Zampa, Shadab Khan and Rashid Khan among other leg spinners, the man from Haryana will have to work hard to prove his worth to the Indian side.
