The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the Indian squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021 in the UAE and Oman. Ravichandran Ashwin received a surprise call-up in the squad while Yuzvendra Chahal has been left out.
Former Indian skipper MS Dhoni has been named the mentor of Team India for the entirety of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021.
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The squad is loaded with multiple spinners. Axar Patel is another surprise selection in the final-15 while Kuldeep Yadav also failed to make the cut. “Spinners who bowl quick was our top priority, so we went with Rahul Chahar,” the Chief selector said on Chahal’s omission.
Meanwhile, Shikhar Dhawan, who led the Indian team in Sri Lanka recently, couldn’t find his way into the squad. Whereas Shreyas Iyer along with Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur are named in the reserves for the tournament.
Ashwin played his last T20 International back in July 2017 against West Indies, which also happens to be his last white-ball game for India. He hasn’t even been included in the Indian squad since then as Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav rose to the ranks.
Ashwin, however, is a regular in the Indian Premier League and will be playing for Delhi Capitals in the upcoming second leg of the 2021 edition. He possesses good numbers in the IPL in recent years and his experience might have given him an edge.
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Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakravarthy, Rahul Chahar and Axar Patel are other spin-bowling options in the squad. Ishan Kishan is picked as a backup wicketkeeper while Suryakumar Yadav’s recent heroics earned him a place in the squad.
India will open their campaign against Pakistan on October 24 in Dubai.
Indian squad for T20 World Cup 2021: Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma (VC), KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohd Shami.
