T20 World Cup: Why is October 10 one of the most important dates for participating nations

The T20 World Cup 2021 is just days away, and the excitement for the mega-event is already growing day by day. The tournament was originally scheduled to be played in 2020 in India, but due to COVID-19 issues, it will now take place in UAE and Oman from October 17 until November 14. ICC had set September 10 as the final date for the squad announcement for all the participating nations with an option to send the finalized squad until October 10. Given the recent few series and performance in the IPL, we could expect that teams would sit down again and discuss to see if they want to make any alteration in their lineups based on the current form of the players, tactical strategy or any other reason.

India, one of the top contenders to lift the title, announced their squad on 8th September, which saw some surprising inclusions and exclusions. India’s top spinner Yuzvendra Chahal was left out of the squad in favour of Rahul Chahar, whereas Shreyas Iyer was added as a reserve alongside Shardul Thakur. Several fans and experts are questioning the inclusion of Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Rahul Chahar, and we might see them get dropped if the selection committee considers the IPL 2021 form.

Ishan Kishan and Rahul Chahar are top prospects to miss out on India’s final squad 

The performances of the Mumbai Indians duo Ishan Kishan and Rahul Chahar have been below average in the IPL 2021. Chahar impressed everyone during the first leg of the tournament, which was staged in India. It was a top reason for his inclusion in the T20 WC squad, but his displays in the UAE leg has been mediocre, which might see him lose his place in favour of Yuzvendra Chahal, whose scenario is completely opposite.

Chahal struggled in India's leg but has consistently grabbed wickets in the second leg of the tournament and is now a strong contender for a spot in the squad. He can either be brought in for Chahar or Varun Chakravarthy, who, as per reports, might be reconsidered due to a recurring knee injury.

On the other hand, Kishan might lose his place in favour of Shreyas Iyer, who has made a strong comeback after the injury by playing multiple crucial knocks for the Delhi Capitals. Also, there have been questions raised regarding the role of Hardik Pandya in the team. Pandya is not fully fit and is expected to play as a pure batsman, which might hamper the team balance. However, as per a senior BCCI official, India is not thinking of dropping Pandya until they find a proper backup. 

India squad for T20 World Cup

Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma (VC), KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami 

T20 WC Reserves: Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur

Image: @Twitter/T20WorldCup