India vs New Zealand 2021: 3 Deserving Indian Players Who Missed Out On A Spot In The T20 Squad

After a disappointing campaign in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, team India are now set to play three T20 internationals and two Tests against New Zealand, starting from 17^th November 2021. The first T20I will be played on 17^th November 2021 at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, while the second and third matches will be played on 19^th and 21st November respectively.

The T20 series between India and New Zealand also marks the start of the Rohit Sharma-Rahul Dravid Era. Rohit Sharma will be the leading the side, while KL Rahul will be his deputy.

Former T20 Indian skipper, Virat Kohli has been rested for the series. Besides, some fresh faces have been included such as Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, and Venkatesh Iyer, etc. RCB bowlers such as Yuzvendra Chahal and Mohammad Siraj have returned to the side, while Shreyas Iyer has also found a place in a bid to bolster the middle-order.

Interestingly, the Indian Selection Committee has ignored some prominent names in the squad. Their decision to leave out some notable Indian cricketers has raised a lot of eyebrows. On that note, we have listed down three Indian cricketers who perhaps deserved the spot in the Indian team for three T20 internationals against New Zealand.

India vs New Zealand 2021: 3 Deserving Indian Players Who Missed Out On A Spot In The T20 Squad

Shikhar Dhawan

After the announcement of the squad, several fans raised voices over the exclusion of Shikhar Dhawan from the squad. Dhawan wasn’t part of India’s squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 and hasn’t found a place for the upcoming T20 series against New Zealand either.

The southpaw has done little wrong to not find a place in the squad. He has been dishing out outstanding performances in IPL for the last couple of years. He scored as many as 618 runs last season at a strike rate of 144.73 and followed it with 587 runs in 16 matches in the 2021 edition.

Shikhar Dhawan led a second-string Indian team in Sri Lanka for a white-ball series in July but hasn’t got the opportunity to represent India in T20 cricket since. Is this the end of the road for Shikhar Dhawan in T20 internationals? We just hope it’s not!

Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill made forgettable returns for KKR in the India leg of IPL 2021. However, he looked like a completely different batsman in the second leg of the cash-rich league in UAE. We could see the intent in his batting, which was missing earlier.

Gill gave exceptional starts at the top of the order and played with a lot more freedom. He scored 3 half-centuries and scored over 400 runs. Given the talent he possesses with the bat, Gill perhaps deserved the place in the Indian team for the T20 internationals.

Mayank Agarwal

Mayank Agarwal is a regular member in India’s squad for Tests. However, when it comes to white-ball cricket, opportunities for him are second to none. The 30-year old cricketer has been piling on runs consistently for Punjab Kings in the last few years.

He has been one of the most consistent batsmen in the Indian Premier League. Despite that, he has yet again, missed out on a spot in India’s white-ball Team.

Mayank Agarwal played some sensational knocks in the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League. In 12 matches, he scored 441 runs at an impressive average and strike rate of 40.09 and 140.44 respectively.

His strike rate and average are enough to make a case for his selection in India’s T20 team. However, the selectors have, once again, ignored him for the upcoming series.