Shardul Thakur in World T20 squad, Axar dropped

The Board of Control for Cricket in India announced a key change in the India squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

All-rounder Shardul Thakur has replaced Axar Patel in the 15-man squad.

As per the BCCI press release, the All-India Senior Selection Committee made the decision to include Shardul after a discussion with the team management.

While the BCCI did not give a reason for the change in the squad, it is possibly due to the need for a fast-bowling all-rounder.

This has become vital after with Hardik Pandya unlikely to bowl in the T20 World Cup.

Pandya has not bowled regularly since his successful back surgery in 2019.

Also, he did not bowl for Mumbai Indians in the UAE leg of IPL 2021.

Meanwhile, the BCCI also announced that Delhi Capitals pacer Avesh Khan, SRH fast bowler Umran Malik, and Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Harshal Patel, will “join the team bubble in Dubai and assist Team India in their preparations”. 

Other players who will remain in the UAE with the Indian camp include Lukman Meriwala, Venkatesh Iyer, Karn Sharma, Shahbaz Ahmed, and K Gowtham.

India’s T20 World Cup squad

Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami

Stand-by players: Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Axar Patel