When it comes to Team India in T20Is, most of the selections are driven by the performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL). A feature of IPL over the years is that some cricketers who do well in one season may not be able to maintain their consistency. As of the end of June 2022, India has seen 97 players have played for India in the shortest format of the game. A few of them have even taken part in the ICC mega-event of the T20 World Cup.
If you take a look at the situation now, it is a surprise that these cricketers were once part of the ICC mega event. On that note, in this article, we take a look at five players you might not know have represented India in the T20 World Cup.
#1 Manoj Tiwary – 2012 T20 World Cup
During IPL 2011 and IPL 2012, Manoj Tiwary witnessed a purple patch. Respectively, in these seasons, he had amassed 359 and 260 runs respectively. In 2010, as well, he had shown some consistency. Hence, he was selected for the World Cup that was held in Sri Lanka. Overall, he featured in just three matches for India. In ODIs, as well, despite doing well, frequent opportunities never came by. At the moment, the player is a politician and recently did well in the knockout stage of the Ranji Trophy for West Bengal.
#2 Varun Aaron – 2014 T20 World Cup
Varun Aaron was known for his fiery pace and he represented India in the T20 World Cup. Apart from Test cricket, Aaron was backed in the shorter formats, as well. In IPL 2014, he managed to scalp 16 wickets at an impressive economy of just over eight. Therefore, he was called up to the squad for the T20 World Cup 2014. Along with Varun, the other members of the pace attack were Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, and Mohit Sharma.
#3 Amit Mishra – 2014 T20 World Cup
Despite being one of the highest wicket-takers in IPL history, Amit Mishra played only 10 T20I matches for India. While we mostly remember the stints of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Kuldeep Yadav in the Indian T20I Team, even Mishra was once part of it. In fact, in the T20 World Cup 2014, he had a good run. In 6 matches, he took 10 wickets at an economy of just 6.6. However, after that, he played only 3 games for India.
#4 Ashok Dinda – 2012 T20 World Cup
Ashok Dinda is also one of the cricketers the Indian fans might not know have represented India in the T20 World Cup. Just like Manoj, Dinda was also enjoying his time in T20 cricket around this time. Hence, he also earned a call to be a part of the pace attack that also included the likes of L Balaji, Zaheer Khan, and Irfan Pathan. Dinda did play a game in that event. The match was against England but Dinda conceded 26 runs in 2 overs and never got a chance again in the competition.
#5 Pawan Negi – 2016 T20 World Cup
2015 was the breakthrough year for Pawan Negi in IPL. He impressed many with big-hitting skills and also did well with the ball. This gave him a chance to represent India at the T20 WC at home. Negi was not able to consolidate his place in the XI. There was also intense competition for his spot. He was later dropped and recently even failed to earn an IPL contract.
