The postponement of IPL 2021 has stumped quite a few cricketers who had invested their hopes in it in pursuit of a place in India’s T20 World Cup squad. The mega event is still quite some time away (in October-November 2021), but India will not be playing too many T20Is between now and then and the raging pandemic continues to hamper domestic cricket. The Telegraph takes a look at some of them.
Shikhar Dhawan
There’s chaos at the top of the Indian batting order in T20s. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul were the initial favourites for the openers’ slots, but captain Virat Kohli then expressed his desire to open the innings in the shortest format alongside Rohit. And if that is not enough commotion, there’s a Shikhar Dhawan, who has been making all the right noises with a bagful of runs. Delhi Capitals’ Dhawan would like to believe that he has done enough in IPL 2021 to make the Indian team management realise that he is more than a back-up option. “Gabbar” has bullied bowlers of all merits in IPL 2021 and was the holder of the orange cap for most runs when it was suspended. Yes, a full tournament would have helped Dhawan make his case stronger, but he probably has done enough to cut the losses from a curtailed IPL 2021.
IPL 2021: l Mts 8 l Runs 380 l HS 92 l Avg. 54.28 l S/r 134.27 l Fifties 3 l 4s/6s 43/8
Prithvi Shaw
There’s already talk in some circles about how difficult it would be to keep Shaw out of India’s T20 World Cup plans. The youngster has hit a goldmine of form since his ouster from the team during India’s tour of Australia. In a crowded top order, Shaw has little chance of breaking through, but having scored runs at a strike rate of 166.48 for Delhi Capitals this year, hitting three fifties in eight games, smashing six fours in the very first over of the innings in match against KKR, the 21-year-old could have done so much more had the IPL completed its run this season. Gloves off, he can only keep his fingers crossed hoping to make the cut some way.
IPL 2021: l Mts 8 l Runs 308 l HS 82 l Avg. 38.50 l S/r 166.48 l Fifties 3 l 4s/6s 37/12
Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson
With there being an uncertainty over the availability of Shreyas Iyer in the middle order, it was the perfect chance for Sanju Samson to bat well in IPL 2021 and draw the selectors’ attention. The Rajasthan Royals captain oozes talent but fails terribly on the consistency scale. This time, he started off the season with a brilliant hundred and then seemed to have finally decoded the meaning of restraint with back-to-back scores of 42 not out off 41 balls, 42 off 27 balls and 48 off 33 balls. But with the IPL postponed, we would never know if Samson would have successfully prolonged his good run. Nor will the selectors.
IPL 2021: l Mts 7 l Runs 277 l HS 119 l Avg. 46.16 l S/r 145.78 l Hundreds 1 l 4s/6s 26/11
Ishan Kishan
Ishan Kishan
Last season’s wonder boy of IPL crash-landed at this year’s tournament. Mumbai Indians’ Ishan has looked worse than his shadow from last year and in the five matches he played for his team this time, he clicked in none. A poor average (14.60) and a poorer strike rate (82.95) have suddenly made the 22-year-old’s chances of making the World Cup squad bleak. More so because he is competing against the ever-improving Suryakumar Yadav. With the IPL postponed, Ishan has almost no chance of redeeming himself. He can only hope that the selectors will remember his impressive international debut earlier this year - a MoM-winning 56 off 32 balls.
IPL 2021: l Mts 5 l Runs 73 l HS 28 l Avg. 14.60 l S/r 82.95 l 4s/6s 3/2
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ashwin’s case is slightly different as he opted out of the IPL even before the tournament was struck down by bio-bubble breaches. Ashwin played five matches for Delhi Capitals before he had to rush back to his family, which was directly affected by Covid-19. But there’s no denying that IPL 2021 was probably his best chance to regain a spot in India’s white-ball squads. Washington Sundar, who Kohli floated as the first-choice off-spinner in the T20I squad, hasn’t been as effective lately. The same can be said about leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal. A good IPL could have forced Kohli to look at Ashwin for the World Cup. But then, he was not in scorching form either with just one wicket to show from five IPL matches this year.
IPL 2021: l Mts 5 l Wkts 1 l Best 1/47 l Econ. 7.73 l Bowling S/r 114.00
Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav
Once considered a must in India’s white-ball teams, Kuldeep has almost receded to oblivion in the last one year or so. He must have hoped to use the IPL to re-launch his career but did not get a single game out of the seven KKR played this season. Kuldeep’s decline in significance is the result of a combination of messed-up bowling skills and too little game-time on the international circuit. With KKR not playing well in the first half of IPL 2021, the wrist-spinner surely could have hoped for a few chances in the second half. But that’s no longer possible. Also, the rise of Axar Patel means that it will take a miracle for him to find a place in the Indian squad.
IPL 2021: Did not play a game
