India
Squad
for
T20
World
Cup
2021:
Ashwin
returns,
MS
Dhoni
to
mentor
team

The
All
India
Senior
Selection
Committee
met
on
Wednesday
to
pick
India’s
squad
for
the
tournament
set
to
get
underway
on
October
17th.
Ashwin’s
inclusion
in
the
squad
came
as
a
surprise
as
he
had
last
played
a
T20I
back
in
2017
against
West
Indies.

Following
Ashwin’s
selection,
Sharma
said,
“Ravichandran
Ashwin
has
been
playing
in
the
IPL
regularly.
He
has
performed
well
there.
When
you
go
into
the
World
Cup,
you
need
an
off-spinner,
everyone
has
an
idea
that
the
wickets
in
the
UAE
will
get
slower
as
IPL
will
also
be
played
there.

Happiness
and
gratitude
are
the
only
two
words
that
define
me
now:
Ashwin
after
being
included
in
T20WC
squad

“Spinners
will
get
assistance
so
having
an
off-spinner
holds
the
key.
Washington
Sundar
is
injured
and
Ashwin
is
an
asset
for
the
team.
He
has
performed
well
in
the
IPL
so
that
is
why
he
has
found
a
place
for
himself
in
the
squad,”
said
the
chief
selector.

Speaking
about
the
role
IPL
plays
in
team
selection,
Sharma
said,
“IPL
is
a
big
tournament
where
the
best
players
around
the
world
play.
So
you
come
to
know
about
the
performance
of
a
player.”

The
three
players
included
in
the
squad
as
standbyes
are
Shreyas
Iyer,
Deepak
Chahar
and
Shardul
Thakur.
Speaking
about
naming
Shreyas
Iyer,
who
is
making
a
comeback
from
injury,
in
the
standby
list,
ANI
quoted
Sharma
as
saying,
“The
standbys
have
been
picked
keeping
in
mind
that
players
can
get
injured.
When
it
comes
to
Shreyas
Iyer,
when
a
player
stays
away
from
the
game
for
a
long
period,
the
selectors
have
their
reservations,
that
is
why
he
has
been
named
in
the
standby
list.”

Talking
about
the
openers
in
the
squad,
the
chief
selector
said,
“We
have
three
openers.
KL
Rahul,
Rohit
Sharma
and
Ishan
Kishan.
We
back
Ishan
as
an
opener
and
in
the
middle-order
as
well.
He
can
be
fitted
anywhere.
Ishan
Kishan
is
a
flexible
player,
he
has
already
opened.
He
is
a
good
player
of
spin
as
well
so
he
can
be
fitted
in
the
middle-order.
We
have
three
openers
for
now.”

Sharma
further
added,
“Virat
has
brilliant
records
in
the
middle-order
while
batting
in
the
T20s.
The
situation
will
determine
who
opens
but
as
of
now,
we
have
picked
three
openers
–
KL
Rahul,
Rohit
Sharma
and
Ishan
Kishan.”

While
the
selection
panel
named
a
15-member
squad
led
by
Virat
Kohli,
another
big
announcement
to
take
everyone
by
surprise
was
the
inclusion
of
MS
Dhoni,
who
will
return
to
the
dressing
room
as
mentor
for
the
upcoming
T20
World
Cup.