The Indian Premier League (IPL) is going to be the last testing time for players interested in entering the Indian T20 World Cup squad, which is jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka next year.
However, the Indian T20 team has been unbeaten since their T20 World Cup victory last year, during which they were unable to field a cast “that is pretty heavy since all formats clash and the selection committee is saving players for Tests.”
The difficult task therefore falls in the hands of the selectors and there are going to be difficult calls for them on the composition of the side. For Rishabh Pant, it was going to be a tough contest against Sanju Samson, while top-order spots will offer intense competition among Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, and Samson.
With competition similar to that to gain a place among the five openers to be chosen, KL Rahul will also be keen to make amends as he was dropped after the last T20 World Cup.
IPL Performance to Decide T20 World Cup Fate
While Samson is lucky enough to have earned his reputation as an opener, other competitors for wicket-keeping duties, such as Pant and Rahul, will look at mid-order slots. Notwithstanding dynamic performances by Abhishek, Samson, and Tilak Varma, India has continually floundered, finishing games with a flourish.
Gill and Jaiswal knock at the doors of opening, probably pushing Pant and Rahul to showcase their wares at the lower end of the order during the IPL. And all these performances will be kept under the eye of the selectors considering the finalization of the T20 World Cup squad. Besides, the selectors seem to be busy preparing a backup for Jasprit Bumrah: a big bunch is being considered with Arshdeep Singh and Mayank Yadav leading the pack.
If Yadav becomes fit soon and performs well during the IPL, he might create competition with Harshit Rana for a spot. This will prove to be a very important tournament for players to make their case for the T20 World Cup.
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