Virat Kohli's troops ready for combat under conqueror mentor
The Indian cricket fans were filled with joy as soon as the squad for the upcoming World T20 2021 was announced on Wednesday night. More than anything, the delight was about MS Dhoni’s return to the dressing room. Ofcourse, not as a player but the former World Cup-winning skipper is back with Team India in a different role this time and of being the mentor for the tournament. BCCI secretary Jay Shah made the confirmation about the development. "As far as MS is concerned, I spoke to him when I was in Dubai. He agreed to be a mentor for the T20 World Cup only. I also discussed the issue with my colleagues and they are all on the same page. I spoke to captain and vice-captain and as well as Ravi Shastri and they are all on the same page," Shah said. India have been in search of a winning triumph in an ICC tournament since 2013. They last lifted the Champions Trophy under Dhoni’s captaincy in that edition. The Men in Blue did come close to winning another tournament, in the 2014 edition of World T20, Champions Trophy in 2017 and then in the inaugural World Test Championship but missed it by a whisker after suffering defeats in the title clash on all the three occasions. The amount of experience that Dhoni brings to the table especially in the ICC tournaments is immense. Being the only skipper to win three ICC trophies in his career, the former wicket-keeper batsman would play a key role in making strategies and plans. The 15-man squad will be led by Virat Kohli and opening batsman Rohit Sharma has been named as his deputy. There have been some surprise picks as well as omissions from the side. Here we take a glance as to how the team looks and what is there in the kitty. Virat Kohli (C) It was a no-brainer that Virat Kohli will be leading the side in the competition. But more than his captaincy, it is about his numbers with the bat. Having played 90 T20Is now, the right-handed batsman has over 3100 runs in the format and averages 52.65. Kohli will have the responsibility to play the anchor’s role and provide the team with stability especially in the middle overs. He has the ability to accelerate and take on the opposition after getting his eye in and that’s what the team management would be seeking from him. The skipper can come in as an opener too. Though, with KL Rahul in the side now, there is a very minimal chance of this but Kohli is an experienced customer at that position as well. He opened the innings with Rohit Sharma in one of the T20Is against England at home and struck an unbeaten 52-ball 80 during the course and has been among runs while opening for his IPL franchise RCB. Kohli had a decent outing during the last season of the IPL that was held in the UAE where he notched up 466 runs in 15 matches. Rohit Sharma (VC) Rohit Sharma can be a nightmare for any bowling attack especially in the white-ball format. Someone who has three double tons in ODIs and four centuries in the T20Is can be lethal with the willow on his day. The kind of experience that Rohit has while batting at the top is immense and the management would want him to give steady starts to the side. Moreover, Sharma’s experience as a captain of the Mumbai Indians team which is the most successful IPL franchise at the moment will also play a crucial role in helping Kohli while making the on ground plans. KL Rahul The resurgence of KL Rahul is a tale to watch out for. From being criticised to not scoring runs consistently and facing problems with his footwork to going on the honours board at Lord’s, what a turn around this has been for the flamboyant opening batsman. Rahul has been picked in the squad as Rohit’s opening partner. He too has played a lot of international cricket now and also leads the Punjab Kings side in the IPL. Apart from this, Rahul has been in some good form, though in a different format but the variety of strokes that he has in his armour just makes him one of the most equipped batsmen in the side. Rahul will also be responsible for providing a steady beginning to the team alongside Rohit. He has the ability to play long innings once he gets settled in the middle. Suryakumar Yadav “The feeling is surreal,” tweeted Suryakumar Yadav after receiving maiden T20I call-up for the series against England. The right-hander later made the call-up count after commencing his international career with a six off Jofra Archer and later went on to score a fifty in his second game as he didn’t get a chance to bat in his debut match. In the three innings that he has played for India in T20Is, Surya has two half-centuries to his name already. SKY’s international career might be brief but he has played a lot of cricket at domestic and IPL level and has scored heaps of runs during the course. The right-handed batsman is likely to bat at number four position in the XI which is probably one of the most important batting spits in the ranks. There can be a situation where a batsman has to steady the ship for his side and can face a condition where he has to go for the onslaught and gather runs for the team at a brisk pace. Surya can be that one player who can score quick runs and can also stay at the crease for a long period of time if required. MI captain Rohit Sharma had once said that Surya is one of the best players of spin bowling that the side possesses. "He's (Surya) probably one of our best batsmen against spin,” after a game against CSK back in 2019. The team will need someone in the middle-order who can negotiate the spin well and SKY is probably the best batsman to get that role in the present scenario. Rishabh Pant This goes without saying that Rishabh Pant would be the first-choice wicket-keeper. The improvement that the left-hander has shown with the gloves behind the wickets has been impressive while is naturally aggressive when it comes to his batting. Pant would be another batsmen in the side who will have the task to accelerate the scoring-rate. The left-hander’s batting form is a bit of concern for now while he didn’t really have a great run in the IPL 2020 that was held in UAE but he has the second leg of the cash rich league coming up to get in the groove and adapt to the conditions. Looking at the other side of things, Pant is one player who is chirpy behind the stumps and a team needs a character like that who can interact with the bowlers every now and then. Ishan Kishan From leading India U19 in World Cup 2016 to making a cut for himself in the senior team for the World T20, wicket-keeper batsman Ishan Kishan has come a long way. He was said to be the finest young talent that the Indian domestic circuit had a few years back but the inconsistent run had kept him out of the equation. Though he has scored some runs at the domestic level, the display of his real talent was still waiting. Kishan unveiled a career-shaping performance in the IPL 2020 for the Mumbai Indians. He scored over 500 runs in 14 matches for the franchise and also struck four fifties that included a 99 as well. The left-hander’s performance in the IPL earned him the India call-up first against England in T20Is and then for the Sri Lanka tour where he also made his ODI debut. Ishan scored half-centuries during the T20I as well as ODI debut. With his former U19 teammate Rishabh Pant already in the squad, Ishan might be picked as a pure batsman in the middle-order but can also play as an opener if and when required. The amount of runs that the wicket-keeper batsman scored in the last IPL makes it pretty evident of how easily he had adapted himself to the conditions. Hardik Pandya Hardik Pandya’s back injury has been a cause of concern for the team management as well as for him. The right-hander has played as a pure batsman in the IPL recently but did get to bowl during the white-ball fixtures against Sri Lanka away from home. But if Hardik is not fit to bowl, he can still find a place for himself in the XI. The right-hander would play a key role in the middle-order and can be the bridge between the middle, lower-middle order and the tail. He is exceptionally good when it comes to accelerating and can prove to be the trump card against the spinners too. The only major issue with Hardik not bowling would be that India would have to field at least five regular bowlers and be ready with the alternates if one of them had a bad day at the office. Ravindra Jadeja Ravindra Jadeja is probably one of the finest all-rounders that the Indian team has at the moment. He can score quick runs, can scalp wickets at crucial stage of the game and is arguably the finest fielders in the world at the moment. He is spot on with his pick up and throw while fielding and can grab difficult catches with ease. Moreover, he is pretty efficient in stopping runs while fielding in the deep. So, a player like Jadeja is always an asset to the team. Coming down to his performance in the last IPL that was held in the UAE, the left-hander didn’t really have a great run. He scored a fifty though but that didn’t really match his standards. Nevertheless, the tacks in UAE can have something on offer for him especially at the line and length to which Jadeja bowls. He can continuously bowl around the off and middle-stump line, coming round the wicket and can deceive the batsmen eventually with some pace. Rahul Chahar Rahul Chahar has been a consistent performer for his Mumbai Indians franchise and he did show a glimpse of his ability while donning the Indian jersey. Chahar played a massive role in MI’s successful triumph in the IPL 2020 in UAE. His ability of bowling quick through the air is one of the major aspects that has been successful in UAE especially as the ball zips past the batsmen on pitching. Not many batsmen barring who play the IPL have faced the spinner and which might work in India’s favour. R Ashwin R Ashwin’s inclusion in the squad has come as a surprise to many. But there are surely some pointers to it. In the first place, the side does need a front-line off-spinner while going into a World Cup as also suggested by the chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma. The former India bowler also added that the tracks in UAE would help the spinners. Secondly, Washington Sundar’s unavailability due to the injury at the moment had surely left a void and Ashwin seems to be the most suitable candidate to fill that as he can also bat. The off-spinner in fact had 13 scalps to his name in the IPL 2020 in 15 matches that he played. Moreover, he has a lot of experience at the highest level which is another major factor that the selectors have put their weight behind him. Varun Chakravarthy If someone could have taken advantage of the conditions in UAE, it was Varun Chakravarthy during the IPL 2020. The “mystery” spinner scalped 17 wickets in 13 matches for KKR. In one of the reports in ESPNCricinfo, Varun had said that he has got as many as seven variations. He can bowl off break, leg break, googly, carrom ball, flipper, top spinner, and a slider aimed at the toes of batsmen to york them. With these many variations, a spinner can rattle any batting line up on his day. And as the conditions suggest, the spinner who can bowl a touch quicker can taste success on the tracks in UAE. Chakravarthy’s carrom ball, flipper and the slider can be the three varieties that he might want to use to have the batsmen in trouble. To add to this, Varun will play a major role in keeping the opposition’s scoring-rate down and evidence of this was visible during the bilateral tie between India and Sri Lanka where he picked up only two wickets but didn’t really give away runs and returned with an economy of 5.30 in three games. Axar Patel Axar Patel performed brilliantly during the Test series against England at home while having a decent run in the IPL 2021 before the cash-rich league was suspended. The left-handed spinner had managed to pick only 9 wickets in 15 outings in the IPL 2020 but had maintained an impressive economy of 6.41 during the course. Axar is another spinner who can extract something out of the tracks in UAE during the World Cup if he gets a chance in the final XI. Apart from this, he is a decent batsman as well and can chip in with sixth some crucial runs. Jaspirt Bumrah While the batting department seems incomplete without the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the bowling unit looks similar if it doesn’t have Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah has pace and can bowl good Yorkers at the death. The right-arm pacer’s role is simple. Not let the opposition take the upper hand in the beginning of the innings while keeping the pinch hitters silent at the death overs by pinning the Yorker length deliveries with accuracy. Though, he is playing Test cricket at the moment but is in good touch as has IPL’s second half lined up for the dress rehearsal for the World T20. Bhuvneshwar Kumar Bhuvneshwar Kumar is another player who struggled because of injury concerns but the right-arm bowler was impressive against Sri Lanka away from home. He was among the last ODI as well in the T20Is and also bowled at a good economy rate. Bhuvi is another member in this contingent who has played a lot of international cricket. Mohammed Shami The selectors have opted for Mohammed Shami in the fast bowling department. The right-arm bowler can hit the deck hard and bowls at a controlled line and length to trouble the batsmen. To add to this, Shami generates a lot of pace as well. The Indian team will also have three reserve players, Shreyas Iyer, Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar. Iyer has been out of action after he injured his shoulder during the home series against England but is now fit and is ready to take the field for the Delhi Capitals side in UAE as the IPL resumes. If Iyer gets a chance to walk in the side, he would be helpful to negotiate the opponents’ spin threat. He is lethal against them and can score runs very quickly. The right-hander also adapted well during the last edition of the IPL in UAE and scored 519 runs in 17 matches for DC. Sharduk Thakur has stamped his authority with both bat and bowl in the Test arena but still needs to leave a mark in the limited-overs format. Nevertheless, Shardul too had a good last season in the IPL for CSK where picked up 10 wickets in nine matches. The right-handed player can also chip in with some quick runs as he had shown in the last Test against England where he notched up twi fifties in the clash. Shardul is in good form and can fill in the place of the bowling all-rounder if he gets a chance. Deepak Chahar had a good outing during the bilateral tie against Sri Lanka. The right-hander can bowl in good areas, has natural swing and doesn’t really leak runs. Deepak can prove beneficial in the power play overs especially, if he gets a chance. Squad: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, 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, Mohammed Shami.
 "Somya Kapoor")
