On September 12, the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) declared India’s official squad for the 2022 T20WC.
Though most of the players named in the 15-man band have earned their places based on recent performances, some struggling stars have also been named in Team India’s 2022 T20 World Cup squad.
In this article, SportsTime247 has listed three such out-of-form players who have been backed for the mega-event.
3. Rishabh Pant
In the last couple of months, Rishabh has only been in the news owing to his online exchanges with Urvashi Rautela. The wk-batter hasn’t done anything of substance in the shortest format of the game in his 50+ T20I games career so far.
Pant has been offered several chances and has now played 17 T20Is in 2022, including the 2022 Asia Cup matches.
However, the impact is absentia: RP has scored just 311 T20I runs at an average of 26 in 2022.
The dashing youngster is the only left-handed batsman in India’s 2022 T20WC squad. Thus, it is possible that he has only made the cut as he provides the team with left-hand-right-hand combination.
2. Deepak Hooda
On the back of stupendous success in IPL 2022, Hooda stormed into Dravid’s scheme of things out of nowhere.
The all-rounder impressed with a destructive ton against Ireland but apart from that, he has been out of touch with the bat, 189 XYZ runs from 8 innings. The captain doesn’t trust his bowling.
Regardless, he has been named in India’s 2022 T20WC squad following Ravindra Jadeja’s shock injury. It is, however, unlikely that Deepak Hooda will find a place in the starting eleven.
1. KL Rahul
The class of KL Rahul is next to none and not long ago, he has ranked ahead of Rohit and Kohli in T20 internationals. However, he isn’t the same player he was in the 2022 IPL or for India prior to that.
In the 8 limited-overs games he has played since his international comeback, KL has scored only 163 runs- with just 1 fifty.
The Indian vice-captain has struggled for timing and strike rate in all his recent knocks. Nonetheless, the dressing room trusts him and KL has made it to Team India’s squad for the 2022 T20WC.
Rahul can’t be blamed for his recent barren run since he is coming off a hernia operation and a COVID-19 layoff.