Team India made a great comeback in the T20 series against South Africa. After losing two matches in a row, the Rishabh Pant-led side won two consecutive matches and the series is now level at 2-2. There has been a change in the playing 11 in all the four matches and in such a situation, former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar has made a big claim about the T20 World Cup to be held in Australia. He said that 17-18 players have already been shortlisted for this.
Ahead of the Rajkot T20, Sanjay Bangar on the absence of a change in the playing XI for the series said that the Indian team for the Ireland series may have new faces, but the purpose of selecting him is to introduce him to the pressures of international cricket. He said on Star Sports, “I think Umran Malik has been brought into the team so that he gets to know about the dressing room environment and how an international team works. IPL is a domestic league and international cricket is a step ahead of it. That’s why some players have been selected in the team to give this experience.”
Sanjay further said that he believes that the BCCI has already shortlisted its 17-18-man squad for the T20 World Cup. Players like captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah have been rested from the series, while Suryakumar Yadav and KL Rahul could not play due to injury.
Bangar further said, “I believe that a total of 17-18 players have been shortlisted for the T20 World Cup squad, including 11 players who have played in this series so far and those who have been rested.” It is worth noting that Team India will play T20 series against England after Ireland. A few more T20 series are to be played before the World Cup. In such a situation, the preparation of Man in Blue will be good.
Team India performed very poorly in the T20 World Cup played in UAE last year. Under the captaincy of Virat Kohli, the team could not progress beyond the league stage. He had to face defeat from Pakistan and New Zealand. The team won the title for the first time in 2007. Now it will be interesting to see how the team performs in the presence of captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid.