IND vs ENG: 5 Indian Players Who Can Be Tested In England T20I Series As A Final Call For The ICC T20 World Cup 2022

Team India will play England in a three-match T2oI series shortly after the one-off Test that ends on July 5 in Birmingham. The first T20I between England and India will be played in Southampton on July 7 followed by the second game on July 8 in Birmingham and the final match is scheduled at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.

The entire India tour of England 2022 will be broadcast in India on the Sony Sports Network and the live streaming of the tour will be available on the SonyLiv App. You can also follow all the Cricket Live Scores and the news happening around the tour on Cricketaddictor.

Both England and India have already announced their squads for the rescheduled fifth and final Test in Birmingham but they are yet to reveal their white-ball squads. England will obviously see a change in the white-ball leadership after veteran skipper Eoin Morgan announced his retirement from international cricket on Tuesday (June 28). 

India will also play under the leadership of Rohit Sharma for the first time in England. However, the Indian skipper isn’t certain to play the one-off Test after contracting the virus last week and is going under an isolation period. India will miss the services of injured players KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav. 

The selectors will have a keen eye on players who are running out of steam but deserve chances to prove their potential for the T20 World Cup in Australia. India will play in the Asia Cup in the August-September window but many players might not make it till there.

IND vs ENG: 5 players who can be tested in the England T20I series for T20 World Cup 2022 selection

With too many options available at the disposal, the competition amongst the players will be stiff. Let us look at five such players who will need to prove their mettle if they get selected for the T20I squad.

1) Avesh Khan

The Indian pacer was dropped from the second T20I against Ireland after conceding 22 runs from two overs in the first game with the wicket of Gareth Delany. Avesh also played all five T20I matches for India in the South Africa rubber at home.

The Madhya Pradesh pacer didn’t pick any wicket in the first three games although he bowled economically well but produced a match-winning spell of 4/18 in the fourth game as India won by 82 runs and levelled the series 2-2. Avesh will have to perform exceptionally if he gets picked for the England T20I series. 

2) Ruturaj Gaikwad

The Maharashtra skipper has been under the radar of selectors, who played him as an opener for the South Africa series in the absence of KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma. Ruturaj scored 96 runs in five innings at an average of 19.20 with some up and down moments in terms of scoring. Ruturaj made 57 in the third T20I as India posted 179 and eventually won by 48 runs. 

He was part of India’s squad for a couple of T20I matches against Ireland but didn’t bat in the first game owing to a niggle in his calf and was subsequently ruled out of the second game in Dublin. Ruturaj’s selection in the England T20I series will be based on the subject of his fitness. In case he gets selected then he must perform up to his potential to get selected for the T20 World Cup in Australia.

3) Venkatesh Iyer

A few months ago the Madhya Pradesh player was being reckoned to play ahead of Hardik Pandya in the T20I side because of the versatility he provides to bat at any given position and bowl a handful of overs. 

As the time passes things aren’t the same as Hardik is back with the Indian team and also led them to a series win in Ireland. Venkatesh’s current lean patch started with the IPL 2022, 182 runs at 16.55 and was also dropped from KKR’s team for a couple of games. 

The 27-year-old was part of India’s T20I squad for the South Africa and Ireland series this month but warmed the bench in all seven matches. India will need to give Iyer a fair opportunity before selecting the T20 World Cup squad. 

4. Rishabh Pant

The flamboyant Indian player has recently come under a lot of criticism for his poor form with the bat in the South Africa T20I series at home, managing 58 runs in four innings at 14.50 as India’s stand-in skipper. 

Regardless of the experts advising him to take a break from international cricket, Pant will get enough opportunities to play for the Indian team. The other segment experts are trying to stress is Dinesh Karthik’s monumental rise after what he did in IPL 2022 followed by the South Africa T20Is. That could play on Pant’s mind and force him to play some sensational knocks in the three-match T20I series.

5) Shreyas Iyer

Iyer is having a topsy-turvy time with the bat, amassing 94 runs in five T20Is against South Africa at home. He started with decent scores of 36 & 40 before his form faltered with the returns of 14 and 4.  Iyer was unfortunate to not bat in the final T20I as he was left stranded at 0 after the rain showers ruled out the game in Bengaluru.

Iyer was named as the reserved player in India’s T20 World Cup squad last year in UAE but this year with the likes of Deepak Hooda and Suryakumar Yadav around the corner, it will be an arduous task for the Mumbai player to make the cut in the flight to Australia.