Virat Kohli (R) with MS Dhoni (C) and Jasprit Bumrah (L)
Here’s a look at India’s T20 World Cup squad that was announced by the BCCI on Wednesday. India won the inaugural edition in 2007 in South Africa under the leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has been included as a mentor for the upcoming event in the United Arab Emirates and Oman starting October 17.
India will take on arch-rivals Pakistan in their first match on October 24.
Virat Kohli (Captain): A captain who leads with his aggressive on-field attitude, the 32-year-old is widely regarded as one of the best batsmen of the current generation. He has so far scored 3154 runs in 90 T20 Internationals with an unbeaten 94, which is his highest innings total, with an average of 52.65. Kohli has 28 fifties to his name in the shortest format.
Rohit Sharma: One of the finest white-ball exponents, Rohit Sharma is a stroke player, particularly known for his pull shot and an aggressive opener. The Nagpur-born right-handed batsman has played 111 T20Is in which he has scored 2,864 runs, with his highest score being 118 and four centuries and 22 fifties under his belt. He can make any good attack on the sweepers on his day. He was also part of the team that won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007.
KL Rahul: The formidable 29-year-old from Karnataka is an aggressive top-order batsman and can keep wickets. He has scored 1,557 runs in 49 T20 Internationals played so far with 110 not out, which is his highest score. He also has two centuries and 12 fifties to his name in the shortest format.
Suryakumar Yadav: The 30-year-old Mumbai batsman is an aggressive batsman in the top order. He made his T20 International debut against England earlier this year. The right-handed batsman has played three ODIs and scored 124 runs, while he has scored 139 runs from 4 T20Is.
Rishabh Pant: The pint-sized left-handed wicketkeeper-batsman is known to challenge the opposition attack. The Haridwar-born 23-year-old has played 33 T20Is, scoring 512 runs with an unbeaten 65, his highest score. The Delhi player has also scored two fifties in the shortest format and is touted as a game-changer.
Ishaan Kishan: The little player from Jharkhand is a tough wicketkeeper-batsman. The left-handed batsman made his T20I debut in the series against England earlier this year and has since played three games, scoring 80 runs, with his highest score being 56 and a half-century to his name. The 23-year-old had also led India in the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh in 2016.
Hardik Pandya: A seam-bowling all-rounder, Hardik Pandya is a big impact player who is known for hitting his sixes. The 27-year-old Baroda all-rounder has played in 49 T20Is, with his highest score being 484 runs with an unbeaten 42. He has also picked up 42 T20 International wickets with 4/38 as his best bowling figures.
Ravindra Jadeja: A spin-bowling all-rounder, the Saurashtra player is a seasoned campaigner who can turn the game on its head. The 32-year-old, a slow left-arm orthodox bowler, has played in 50 T20Is, scoring 218 runs while taking 39 wickets. The elegant stroke-player can also play a finisher, which he did in a game in the previous Australia series.
Mohammed Shami: India’s leading fast bowler who has played in all formats. Although he has been India’s impressive bowler in ODIs and Test matches, the 31-year-old Shami has played just 12 T20I matches, taking 12 wickets with best figures of 3/38 and an average of 35.66.
Rahul Chahar: The 22-year-old Rajasthan leg-spinner is known to deceive the batsmen and made his T20I debut against West Indies in 2019. So far, he has taken seven wickets in five T20Is with 3/15 as his best bowling. .
Ravichandran Ashwin: A clever old fox, the ace off-spinner from Tamil Nadu is a seasoned campaigner. The 34-year-old, who returned to the T20I squad after four years, took 52 wickets in 46 matches with the best bowling figures of 4/8. There are many weapons in Ashwin’s armor, one of them is a carrom ball.
Axar Patel: The 27-year-old slow left-arm orthodox bowler has taken nine wickets in the 12 T20 Internationals he has played so far. A handy left-handed batsman, the Gujarat players can play with the lower order bat as well. Akshar made his T20I debut in 2015 against Zimbabwe in Harare and last played a T20I against England in Ahmedabad in March this year.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: A deceptive swing bowler, Bhuvneshwar is a seasoned campaigner who has players in 51 T20Is. The 31-year-old medium pacer has so far taken 50 wickets in T20Is with his best figures of 5/24.
Jasprit Bumrah: Death overs specialist Jasprit Bumrah is known for his yorkers. The 27-year-old Gujarat pacer has taken 59 wickets in 50 T20I games and has been instrumental in India’s many victories. He has the best figures of 3/11 and is captain Virat Kohli’s best player in critical situations.
Varun Chakravarthy: A mystery off-spinner, Varun Chakravarthy made his T20I debut against Sri Lanka earlier this year. The 30-year-old bowler from Tamil Nadu has taken two wickets in 3 matches.
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