1) Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant is one of the most underrated players in the Indian cricket team and with his performance against Ireland, he has proved that he deserves a place in the lineup. He batted at number four and scored 83 runs off 55 balls while also taking two wickets giving him an all-round performance. With no clear opening partner for Rohit Sharma, Pant should be included to strengthen the batting lineup.
Another player who should be considered for selection is KL Rahul. He made a comeback after a few years with a solid performance in the warm-up matches against New Zealand and Ireland where he scored 71 runs off 47 balls and took 4 wickets respectively.
2) Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav is an excellent ODI batsman who can also bowl well. His innings against Australia in the semi-final of the 2019 Cricket World Cup were a showpiece for his skills. Yadav has been on and off the team in limited-overs cricket, but he should be given more chances with the bat and ball.
Suryakumar Yadav has been on and off the team in limited-overs cricket, but he should be given more chances with the bat and ball.
Naman Ojha is an excellent Test player but not so good in ODIs. Still, his experience could come in handy as a backup wicketkeeper to Rishabh Pant if needed.
3) Hardik Pandya
India has been a consistent team in winning the ICC T20 World Cup. We have won it thrice and were also runners-up in 2007. But this time around, they are not going as strong as they were in previous years. It is clear that the team needs a lot of work before the semi-final match on 18th July against England. Here are three players who can be surprise inclusions for the game: Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, and Ishant Sharma. Dinesh Karthik is an experienced player and has had some good performances at the international level. He was quite impressive in his last game, where he scored 29 runs off 23 balls, which came from five fours and one six. He could come in handy with his power-hitting abilities and experience which will prove beneficial for the team.
Hardik Pandya’s inclusion might bring back the excitement among fans again who were disappointed with India’s lackluster performance so far in this tournament.
