On the last Wednesday, the National selectors added Shardul Thakur to the 15-man Indian team for the T20 World Cup. It came at the expense of in-form left-arm spinner Axar Patel.
In their release, BCCI also authenticated that Avesh Khan, Umran Malik, Harshal Patel, Lukman Meriwala, Venkatesh Iyer, Karn Sharma, Shahbaz Ahmed and K Gowtham would all be part of the bio-bubble to aid the team in the preparations for the mega-event.
Meanwhile, the Cricket lovers all across the globe, are wondering whether what is decided is correct or not.
But, don’t worry, you have come to the right article and Hirav Shah, India’s Only Bonafide Sports Astro-Strategist does a TEAM analysis for all of you.
Table of Contents
Strengths of 15- Man Indian TEAM Analysis For The T20 World Cup
Axar will now join the standby list. Yes, the spin-bowling all-rounder will now have to be a part of the standby group. This is the only modification to India’s side named so far, ahead of the 15 October deadline.
Meanwhile, if you are wondering what is the side’s biggest strength so far, then it’s Thakur.
Shardul Narendra Thakur (born 16 October 1991) is currently in his 31st year and his inclusion could certainly be his best birthday gift. He has played 22 T20Is for India and has 31 wickets to his credit.
Off late, he has appeared as a dependable batter lower down the order after twin fifties against England at The Oval. In the shortest format, he is someone who can use the long handle of the bat, indicated by his strike rate of 197.14 in the five innings he has batted in T20Is.
If you are wondering, what other strengths does the squad have, then the chosen team itself looks like a huge strength- Opines Hirav Shah, Sports Advisor, Astrologer, Strategist and Sports Guru.
On that note, the Indian squad looks like this:
Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami
Stand-by players: Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Axar Patel
Weaknesses of 15- Man Indian TEAM Analysis For The T20 World Cup
vijay chennupati, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
The selectors were caught in a dilemma given the dearth of power-hitters who could end an innings coming at No. 6 and No. 7. Ishan Kishan is largely seen as an opening choice.
That helped Hardik retain his place as a batter.
As for dropping Axar, who has clearly been the finest spinner after Varun Chakravarthy in the IPL, it came down to maintaining variety in the squad.
But, dropping Axar could also become the squad’s weakness. Apart from dropping Axar, the other weaknesses are fitness levels of the top players. Indeed, just wait and watch-Warns Hirav Shah.
Opportunities for 15- Man Indian TEAM Analysis For The T20 World Cup :
If a window of opportunity appears, don’t pull down the shade- Quotes Hirav Shah.
It’s a really big opportunity for Hardik. He is not cent percent when it comes to bowling so it will be a finisher’s role for Hardik in this World Cup.
At present, the team will look at him as a batsman who comes in and looks to play the finisher’s role just like Dhoni did over the years. In a nutshell, Hardik needs to capitalise on the opportunity given to him.
Shardul Thakur needs to anyhow stand out and show what he is capable off.
Actually, each match is an opportunity. Each game is an opportunity – To shine and make the Country proud.
Threats for 15- Man Indian TEAM Analysis For The T20 World Cup
The main threat for Team India would be the selection of the third middle-order player.
While Virat Kohli at 3 and Rishabh Pant at 4 or 5 select for themselves, it will boil down to one between Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan.
It appears like a threat because one wrong decision and the team will be dead and gone.
Axar Patel’s exclusion could be a threat. All the games could also be threats if the squad becomes “over-confident“- Opine’s Hirav Shah.
Final Thoughts
The ICC T20 World Cup was moved from India due to the coronavirus pandemic.
India are the favourites to win the T20 World Cup ahead of the beginning of the tournament in the United Arab Emirates and Oman on Sunday.
While the probability of India lifting the trophy looks the maximum, they need to focus, strategise, make the right choices and make the right decisions- Concludes Hirav Shah, India’s Most Favourite Sports Astrologer, Advisor, Strategist and Consultant.
