ICC T20 World Cup 2022: Team India Departs For Australia

Early on Thursday morning, the Indian T20 World Cup team departed for Australia. KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya can be seen getting off the team vehicle and entering the airport in a video of the squad leaving the Mumbai airport.

Virat Kohli, who along with captain Rohit Sharma is considered to be the backbone of the team’s batting, was also present. Men in Blue will first go to Perth before continuing on to Sydney, where they will play two exhibition games against the hosts Australia and New Zealand before facing Pakistan in the crucial first match on October 23. 

Watch As Team India Leaves For ICC T20 World Cup

Smiles, laughter and wishes as #TeamIndia left from Mumbai for Australia ?? pic.twitter.com/Re60cUgnZx

— BCCI (@BCCI) October 7, 2022

On September 12, the Board selected the 15-member team, with Rohit Sharma serving as captain and KL Rahul serving as vice-captain. The choice of Rohit, Virat Kohli, Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, and Deepak Hooda as specialist hitters was in accordance with expectations. The squad’s two all-rounders are Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel. 

The two wicketkeepers were announced as being Rishabh Pant and the seasoned Dinesh Karthik. But now that Jasprit Bumrah is out, the bowling is toothless. Questions have also been raised about India’s death bowling, which includes players like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, and Arshdeep Singh, after recent performances against Australia and South Africa. 

Earlier, the BCCI posted a photo of the squad leaving Mumbai along with the caption: “Picture Perfect, Let’s do this, Team India.” 

Picture perfect ?

Let's do this #TeamIndia@cricketworldcup, here we come ✈️ pic.twitter.com/XX7cSg3Qno

— BCCI (@BCCI) October 5, 2022

Mohammad Shami Still On Standby List

Arshdeep Singh, a left-arm fast bowler who has already been recognized for a strong start to his international career, will provide a new dimension to the team’s pace attack. 

Axar and part-timer Hooda will aid experienced Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal in the spin department. 

Due to Ravindra Jadeja’s injury, Avesh Khan was the only player of the Asia Cup team who appeared to have been overlooked. 

Mohammed Shami, Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Chahar, and young spinner Ravi Bishnoi have been added to the standby list. 

The T20 World Cup will begin on October 16 with the championship match scheduled for November 13. Pakistan, South Africa, Bangladesh, and two qualifiers were placed in Group 2 with India. 

On October 23, India plays Pakistan in their opening match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. After losing their first two games to Pakistan and New Zealand, India last year was eliminated from the group stage. 

India Squad: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh.

Standby Players: Mohammad Shami, Shreyas Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi, Deepak Chahar.

Also Read: ICC T20 World Cup 2022: Dale Steyn Names Replacement Of Jasprit Bumrah In India’s Squad For T20 World Cup 2022