India's T20 World Cup squad: Will Mohammed Shami be included? Bumrah and Harshal set to return

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is likely to announce India's 15-man squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022 on Monday (September 12). The selectors face some major selection headaches after India's disappointing campaign in the recently-concluded Asia Cup 2022 where they were dumped out of the competition from the Super Four stage.

As per a report in the Times of India, there will be an online meeting of the BCCI selection panel on Monday afternoon where the squad for the T20 World Cup will be picked and announced later in the day. Head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma are also expected to be part of the meeting.

Star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who recently underwent knee surgery is unlikely to be picked as he will remain out of action for a few months. Jadeja was ruled out midway through India's Asia Cup campaign after aggravating his knee injury during training.

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However, in what comes as a major boost for the Indian team ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia next month, fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel have recovered well and are available for selection. The duo had missed the Asia Cup dues to respective injuries and their absence was dearly felt by the Indian team.

Also Read:What went wrong for Rohit Sharma-led India in Asia Cup 2022?

While Bumrah and Harshal are expected to make the cut, veteran pacer Mohammed Shami also remains in contention. Shami has not been in India's T20I plans for a while now but he remains in contention as the selectors might look at fresh changes in the pace attack after a disappointing show from the fast bowlers in the Asia Cup.

Avesh Khan, who was part of India's squad in the Asia Cup, failed to impress and might make way for Shami. However, the likes of Deepak Chahar and Umran Malik are also among major contenders for a spot in the final 15 alongside Bumrah, Harshal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh.

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India's middle-order to looked unsettledin Jajdeja's absence during the Asia Cup and it remains to be seen if the likes of Sanju Samson or Shreyas Iyer will be included in the squad to add depth to India's batting. The selectors will also have to take a call whether they want to pick Dinesh Karthik as a specialist finisher or first-choice wicket-keeper batter ahead of Rishabh Pant.

Both Suryakumar Yadav and Deepak Hooda are expected to keep their spots along with the top three of skipper Rohit, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli, who rediscovered his form in the Asia Cup with some splendid performances.

India's predicted squad for T20 World Cup 2022:

Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant/Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravi Bishnoi/R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Sanju Samson/Shreyas Iyer