(Image source from: AFP)
Captain Suryakumar Yadav and his vice-captain Shubman Gill's poor performance is a significant worry, but the national selection committee is not expected to make surprising changes when they choose the 15-player team for next year’s T20 World Cup on Saturday. The BCCI can substitute any of the selected 15 players up until the T20 World Cup starts on February 7. Notably, during the earlier Champions Trophy this year, Varun Chakravarthy took the place of Yashasvi Jaiswal due to the slow pitches in Dubai. Although no one from the BCCI has explicitly stated it, this global tournament in India might be Suryakumar's final chance as the national T20 captain. He is already 35 years old and has struggled with his form for the past year.
After having a tough time for nearly 14 months and across 24 matches, Suryakumar is maintaining his position mainly because he is the team captain. The committee will also create the T20 squad for New Zealand, which will be the same as the one selected for the T20 World Cup. Currently, there are no open positions, although Gill's role has often been questioned while a strong Yashasvi Jaiswal waits to be considered. It is yet to be seen if the selectors will add Jaiswal as an extra player for the New Zealand series, just to evaluate him in case he is needed for the major event that will be hosted by India and Sri Lanka. The backup opener’s spot is currently held by Sanju Samson, who was unfairly removed from his role when the selection committee and a key member of the team's strategic group decided to change something that was functioning well.
If the T20 World Cup were six months away, the selection committee might have explored other leadership possibilities. However, with the T20 World Cup approaching quickly and Gill's form declining, Suryakumar’s position has remained secure, as he was once viewed as the captain for all formats after assuming control of the Test and ODI teams. But with only five matches left before the first World Cup match against the USA in Mumbai on February 7, no selection panel would want to disrupt the stability. While there is a good chance that the 15 players chosen to face South Africa for the home series will play against New Zealand and later in the T20 World Cup, Jaiswal's name will likely be brought up since he has proven to be a more flexible T20 player than both Gill and Samson.
However, with Samson now being the second keeper (since Jitesh Sharma is the main wicketkeeper and finisher) and Gill being elevated to vice-captain, it is tough for Jaiswal to make it into the 15 because he doesn't fit into any other specific role. The only other weaker spot in the 15 is Washington Sundar, who hasn't yet delivered any spectacular performances in 57 T20 matches. In this format, he plays more as a bowling all-rounder. On paper, the team appears unbeatable with 14 established IPL stars (excluding Washington), but what stands out is that two of the top three batsmen are in terrible form.
