3 Indian Players Who Can Be Dropped From The T20 World Cup 2021 Squad

3 Indian Players Who Can Be Dropped From The T20 World Cup 2021 Squad. The highly anticipated T20 World Cup 2021 is just around the corner and the fans can’t wait for the action to unfold. All the teams have announced their 15-man squads for the tournament. For the unversed, the last T20 World Cup was held back in 2016. West Indies lifted the title and became the first side to win the T20 World Cup title twice in the history of the competition. 

The Indian team won the inaugural T20 World Cup title in 2007 after beating Pakistan by 5 runs in the final. However, the Men in Blue have been searching for their second T20 World Cup title since. Virat Kohli-led Indian Team announced their 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup on 8th September 2021.

The teams are allowed to make changes to their squad until 10th October 2021. Given the fact that not all the players mentioned in the squad are doing well in the ongoing IPL 2021, one could see a few changes taking place before the aforementioned date. On that note, here’s a look at three players who could be dropped from India’s 2021 World Cup squad.

3 Indian Players Who Can Be Dropped From The T20 World Cup 2021 Squad

Rahul Chahar  

Rahul Chahar made headlines on the day India’s squad for the T20 World Cup was announced as he was included ahead of Yuzvendra Chahal in the 15-member list. Surprisingly, Yuzvendra Chahal, who was India’s first-choice spinner till recently, was dropped from the squad. 

Rahul Chahar was sensational in the IPL 2020 and also during the first leg of IPL 2021. He was Mumbai Indians’ wrecker in chief in the first half of IPL 2021. However, the 22-year old hasn’t been able to replicate the same form in the second leg of the tournament in UAE. In 4 matches played in UAE this season, Chahar has only managed to pick two wickets. 

At the same time, Yuzvendra Chahal has made a drastic improvement to his game in the ongoing leg of IPL 2021. In 6 games, he has managed to pick 11 wickets and had also exhibited stellar performances during India’s tour of Sri Lanka. Considering both the cases, the selectors might replace Rahul Chahar with Yuzvendra Chahal in the T20 World Cup squad. 

2. Varun Chakravarthy

Termed as the X-factor in India’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2021, Varun Chakravarthy has been making waves in the shortest format. He has kept the batsmen quiet with his array of variations. Not a lot of batsmen has found it easy to take him on and thus he is likely to be one of the biggest threats in the perennial tournament. 

Chakravarthy has done a sensational job for KKR over the last couple of years in IPL. He was the highest wicket-taker for the franchise last year. In the ongoing season as well, he has topped the charts, having managed to pick 16 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 22.75. 

Having said that, there are concerns over his fitness. Recent reports have suggested that he is suffering from a knee injury and that might rule him out of the T20 World Cup. 

“Varun’s knees are not in the greatest condition. He is in pain and trust me had it not been in a T20 World Cup, perhaps even Indian team management wouldn’t have taken the risk of playing him,” a BCCI source privy to the development told PTI on condition of anonymity.

3. Hardik Pandya

It is safe to say that Hardik Pandya’s stocks have gone down for the last couple of years. It’s majorly because of his fitness issues. Hardik Pandya hasn’t bowled in a single match for MI in the ongoing second leg of IPL 2021. With the bat, his returns have been quite ordinary. 

He played a match-winning 40-run knock against Punjab Kings. But other than that, there hasn’t been any notable contribution from him. Hardik Pandya’s recent form is certainly a worry for India. Given his ability to contribute to all three facets of the game, Pandya is one of the biggest assets for the team. However, playing him only as a specialist batsman could hamper the balance of the team. 

Under such circumstances, India might look at another all-rounder in Shardul Thakur, who is currently a reserve but not part of the current 15-man squad. Thakur has been exhibiting telling performances in the shortest format over the last couple of years. He has been consistently picking wickets for CSK in the ongoing second leg of IPL. Keeping in mind his recent form, he might replace Hardik Pandya to make his way into the 15-man squad.