Alignment key in mission World Cup

India will have to set aside all the chatter regarding a few of their star names and get behind one common idea of winning the T20 World Cup if they are to quench their thirst for a first major trophy in white-ball cricket since their 2013 Champions Trophy triumph.

Much of the reported noise surrounding the team has centred on the frosty relationship between skipper Rohit Sharma and his deputy Hardik Pandya, both of whom have failed to put a halt to the slide of their Indian Premier League side, the Mumbai Indians, in becoming the first team to crash out of the tournament.

The conundrum started after fans rejected Rohit being replaced as Mumbai captain by Hardik, who was brought back from the Gujarat Titans this season. Hardik, one of India's biggest assets owing to his stellar all-round abilities, saw his performances take a nosedive and suffered a horrendous campaign and it appears that the IPL could not have come at a worse time as a means of preparation for the Men in Blue as it put forth a lot of difficult questions rather than answers for the management.

Both Rohit and Virat Kohli had not played any T20I cricket between the 2022 T20 World Cup and January 2024 which furthered the re-consideration of their guaranteed inclusion.

The selectors, however, played it smart and went towards a safe approach as they left little to no room for surprise and backed experience in the squad they announced which featured almost all of the expected names.

Explosive lower-order batter Rinku Singh's omission was, however, noteworthy as India went with an extra bowling option.

The bottom line is that the 2007 winners will have to go the extra yard and get aligned if they are to go all the way this time.

SQUAD

Rohit Sharma (C), Hardik Pandya (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

KEY PLAYER

Virat Kohli

The maestro goes into the tournament as the all-time highest run-getter in T20 World Cup history with an opportunity to add to his 1141-run tally. On the back of another stellar IPL campaign with the bat, India will bank on Kohli to take the game against the best of oppositions and inspire his side and lead with the bat.

STRENGTH

Kul-Cha

Game-changing wrist-spinners in Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, both of whom are attacking options. Kuldeep's mystifying ability to spin it both ways makes him very tough to read and if the wickets assist spin, he can be a handful for left as well as right-handed batters. Need not be surprised if the Kul-Cha duo is seen in the line-up!

WEAKNESS

More gunpowder, please!

A lack of firepower from the batters of the old guard can be a concern for India. There is also a dearth of batting depth as well as they have gone with four specialist batters and as many all-rounders. Hardik's poor form leading up to the tournament can also hamper the balance of the side.

IMPACT PLAYER

Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah will be making his way to the World Cup with all the confidence after a splendid IPL. Blistering pace, hawk-like precision, vicious toe-crushing yorkers – he has got it all and is one of the best in the business who can be equally devastating in all three phases of an innings. Keeping him fit is all India need to be worried about.

Stat Attack

T20 World Cup Appearance: 9th
T20 World Cup Performance: Played 44, Won 27, Lost 15, Tied 1, NR1

DID YOU KNOW?

India have the highest winning percentage (63.95) in T20 World Cups among ICC full member teams participating in the ninth edition.