Be it the T20 World Cup or any other high-profile series, the Indian Premier League (IPL) usually plays an important role in the Indian team’s selection ahead of almost all marquee events.
This time around, the upcoming edition of the world’s most competitive T20 league will directly affect calls the selectors take while picking the India squad for the T20 World Cup, which begins on June 4, just a week or two after the IPL concludes late in May.
That’s a big incentive for the players to run the extra yard in this season’s IPL, which starts next Friday.
A rough draft of the cricketers in the fray for the T20 Cup must have been prepared by now. Rajasthan Royals’ Yashasvi Jaiswal, in scintillating form since the last IPL, Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill, Kolkata Knight Riders’ master finisher Rinku Singh, Chennai Super Kings opener Ruturaj Gaikwad and his teammate, medium-pacer all-rounder Shivam Dube — all of them should be featuring on the list that’s expected to be made official in the business end of this IPL.
For Dube in particular, a streak of decent performances for Chennai Super Kings won’t just confirm his place in the Cup squad, but will up the ante on his senior counterpart and Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya, who’s set for a comeback to the highest level after staying away from action for five months following an ankle injury.
The advantage for Pandya is that he’s viewed by most of the BCCI bigwigs as the deputy to captain Rohit Sharma in this year’s T20 World Cup and a future India T20I captain. So, unless he gets injured again, he’s probably a certainty in the Cup squad. That said, he will be under some pressure if Dube keeps performing.
Among the quicks, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh are virtually assured of their places. The tussle thus will be mainly among Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep and Avesh Khan. Expect the trio to go about their
business with high intensity as they need to prove a point to both the Team India management and the selectors. A fair amount of attention will also be on wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who’s keen to continue from where he finished in the recently-concluded England Tests.
The way Kuldeep has been faring lately in both red-ball and white-ball cricket, he too looks to be an automatic choice for the T20 Cup squad alongside left-arm spinner all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. There could be a keen contest between leg-spinners Ravi Bishnoi and Yuzvendra Chahal, while young Suyash Sharma — who had impressed last year — is an underdog and should be in the selectors’ notebook if
he again does well for the Knight Riders.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar and his colleagues will also keep an eye on Sunrisers Hyderabad’s spinner-all-rounder Washington Sundar. If he does well in the IPL, he too could be in contention.
The spotlight will also be on Shreyas Iyer and keeper-batter Ishan Kishan. Out of BCCI’s annual contracts, this IPL will be an opportunity for KKR captain Iyer and Mumbai Indians’ Kishan to produce performances of significance and pass a message to those who matter in Indian cricket.
Talking of seniors, Suryakumar Yadav, out since last December with an ankle injury and then a groin surgery, will be looking to get into his groove as quickly as possible. India captain Rohit and head coach Rahul Dravid would want him to be at his best going into the World Cup.
Virat dilemma
India in recent times have won T20Is even when Virat Kohli hasn’t been a part of the playing XI. But he is Virat Kohli after all. Will the team management and selectors dare to ignore Kohli, who has been out of cricket recently for
the birth of his second child, even if he is in rousing form this IPL?
The presence of Kohli and the impact he can have on the team is massive. And he does lift his game in major competitions. That’s something which just cannot be ignored.
