The Indian cricket team has pinned its hopes on Rohit Sharma & Co. to bring an end to the nation’s wait for an ICC title as the team travels to Australia for the T20 World Cup 2022. While the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, etc. will be spearheading India’s charge, there will be a few old warhorses who might be playing their final T20 World Cup.
The Indian cricket team has a good mix of rookie and experienced players. A few of them are on the wrong side of 30s and it might be difficult for fans to see them being picked for the T20 World Cups beyond this year.
Ravichandran Ashwin: Once branded as a ‘Test specialist’, Ravichandran Ashwin has truly redeveloped himself in white-ball cricket. Thanks to his performances in the Indian Premier League, Ashwin got the nod in the Indian team for T20 World Cup 2022. However, it is difficult to see Ashwin playing another T20 World Cup as he is already aged 35.
With players like Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Rahul Chahar, etc. waiting in the wings, Ashwin’s time in India’s T20 team is likely to be nearing its end.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: Still only 32 but Bhuvneshwar Kumar has had plenty of injury issues of late. His fitness has been one of the biggest reasons behind his inconsistent outings in the Indian team. With the next T20 World Cup scheduled to take place 2024, Bhuvi might not be a certainty in the Indian team.
The likes of Deepak Chahar, Avesh Khan, Umran Malik, Prasidh Krishna, etc. are piling pressure on the senior members of the team. It was Mohammed Shami who was sacrificed for younger blood this year, Bhuvi could go through the same fate in a couple of years’ time.
Dinesh Karthik: It was 2007 when Dinesh Karthik played his first T20 World Cup for India. In a career that has been a roller-coaster ride for the wicket-keeper batter, Karthik once again found himself in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup 2022. Though he still remains a capable finisher at the age of 37, the same can’t be expected of him in two years’ time.
Players like Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson have been pushing for Karthik’s spot in the Indian team. In all likeliness, one of them will take up the second wicket-keeper’s role in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
