Out of the 15-member squad, five players are going into the World Cup for the first time

Less than two weeks from now, the cricket fraternity will see several teams from various parts of the world go against each other for the coveted T20 World Cup trophy. And as always, the limelight will be on the Indian side, who are going into the tournament as the defending champions. The team, which has no shortage of stars, has also chosen five players who have never played in the World Cup.

However, the selectors felt they had proved their prowess in the domestic circuit and in international series, and therefore, they deserve a chance. Ahead of the tournament, let us look at the five players who have never played a World Cup from the 15-member Indian squad for the tourney.

Abhishek Sharma

(Credit- IPL)

The first player on this list is Abhishek Sharma, who has made his way into the national side from the domestic circuit, particularly through his impressive batting in the Indian Premier League (IPL). So far, Sharma has played only 36 T20I matches, but he has scored 1,267 runs at an average of 38.39 while maintaining a strike rate of 195.22. Sharma also has two centuries to his name, and last year in the Asia Cup, he was the highest run scorer with 314 runs in seven innings at an average of 44.85.

Tilak Varma

(Credit- News18)

Tilak Varma is another player who has thrashed bowlers left, right, and centre in the IPL, for which he got a call in the T20 side of the national team. In last year’s Asia Cup final, Varma was crucial behind India’s victory against PAK. Varma has 40 T20I matches under his belt so far, and he has scored 1,183 runs at an average of 49.29 and a strike rate of 144.09.

Sanju Samson

(Credit- Indian Express)

Sanju Samson made his T20I national debut over a decade ago, and yet, he has never played in a World Cup. Call it poor luck, inconsistency, or something else; Samson has played only 55 T20I matches so far with 1,048 runs at an average of 24.37 and a strike rate of 147.60. Finally, Samson has the opportunity to participate in a World Cup, but his performance in the T20I series against New Zealand has been dismal.

Harshit Rana

(Credit- NDTV)

Harshit Rana has been called many things by the majority of the Indian fraternity, but there is no doubt that the Gautam Gambhir-backed player is proving himself time and again. Despite playing only eight international games in his T20 career, Rana has amassed nine wickets and 48 runs. The figures are low, but big impacts are expected out of the Kolkata Knight Riders’ players.

Rinku Singh

(Credit- IPL.com)

Another player from the Kolkata Knight Riders’ camp, Rinku Singh, has risen up the ranks due to his phenomenal skills as a finisher down the order. Singh has played 38 T20I matches so far, with 594 runs scored at an average of 45.69 and a strike rate of 165.00.

The potential for all the aforementioned players to lead India to match-winning innings rests heavily on their inexperience.