India’s game-changers

Virat Kohli: 1141

The star batter has never been shy of reinventing his game. Questioned about his approach in T20 cricket (134.50), the 35-year-old showed a level of aggression in the IPL rarely seen before in his game. Adding slog-sweeps to his arsenal, Kohli uncharacteristically went after spinners. He finished as the season’s highest scorer with 741 runs at a strike-rate of 154.69.

Virat is the highest run-scorer in the marquee event, scoring well over a thousand runs across five editions. He holds the record for the most runs in a single edition — 319 in 2014.

Suryakumar Yadav

The way Suryakumar bats in T20s, it seems the format was developed just for the Mumbaikar. His no holds barred approach and unconventional batting make him the undisputed king of the format. Suryakumar’s return to form after returning from a long injury layoff is an ominous signs for India’s rivals. The 33-year-old smashed three fifties and one century for MI in the IPL season.

The way he plays, he can change the complexion of a game in 15 balls. …for India to win this T20 World Cup, Surya is going to be the key. — Yuvraj Singh

Kuldeep Yadav

The Chinaman is going through a purple patch and cannot put a foot wrong. Having returned to his best after tweaking his bowling action and run-up, Kuldeep has been the go-to bowler for his captains, be it Rohit Sharma in Tests and ODIs or Rishabh Pant in the IPL. If his discipline with line and length has frustrated batters in the middle overs, his clever variations have got him crucial wickets. In the IPL, Kuldeep took 16 wickets from 11 games — 13 coming at an economy of just 7.94.

Jasprit Bumrah

Whatever the stage, whatever the format, India’s pace spearhead is a proven performer. His new-ball mastery and death-over expertise is unmatched. In the IPL, Bumrah stood tall with 20 wickets in 13 matches. Despite MI’s all-round struggles, Bumrah shone brightly with his supreme control with the ball, maintaining an envious economy rate of 6.48. In the death overs, he conceded only 90 runs from 89 balls, while taking 10 wickets.

Hardik Pandya

A year ago, Hardik Pandya was at the top. After leading Gujarat Titans to the second successive IPL final, he was already being seen as India’s captain at the T20 World Cup. His career took an unexpected turn when a serious ankle injury ended his ODI World Cup campaign. From the sidelines, he watched the national team’s command slip out of his hands. His return from the layoff has not been encouraging either — the usually flamboyant leader and skillful all-rounder struggled in the IPL. Under his captaincy, MI finished last. He managed just 216 runs at an average of 18 and got 11 wickets at an economy rate of 10.75. But he provides the much-needed balance to the team. Pandya is a proven match-winner and his record for India cannot be ignored.

Samson or Pant?

Sanju Samson was phenomenal in the way he led RR in the recent IPL. His was also in top form with the bat, scoring 531 runs at an average of 48 and strike-rate of 153. Comeback man Rishabh Pant was no laggard with the bat either, scoring 446 runs at a strike-rate of 155. As wicketkeepers, both had their share of lapses behind the stumps. But Pant being a left-hander and batting in the middle-order tilts the scale in his favour. With huge potential to win games, Pant looks like the favourite to be India’s first choice wicketkeeper.

Squad

Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (v-c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd Siraj

Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan