Team India unexpectedly crashed out of the 2021 T20 World Cup in the Super 12 stage. Before the tournament started, Virat Kohli’s men were considered as one of the favourites. However, after a dismal show against Pakistan and New Zealand, India had a terrible start to the campaign. Although they did well, later on, it was too late by then. A few players were underwhelming in the tournament. In this article, we take a look at four players who failed to grab the opportunity in the 2021 T20 World Cup.
1) Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Matches – 1 || Wickets – 0 || Average – 0 || Economy – 8.33
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is one of the players who failed to grab the opportunity in the 2021 T20 World Cup. Despite his inconsistent form in recent years, the management still picked him owing to his experience. However, Bhuvi failed to pay it back. He played the game against Pakistan but did not look threatening at all. In such a game, the early performance by the bowlers would set the tone for the entire innings. Bhuvi himself had done that many times in the past. However, against Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam, Bhuvi could not be at his best. The pressure is now mounting on Bhuvi to return to his best self.
2) Varun CV
Matches – 3 || Wickets – 0 || Average – 0 || Economy – 6.45
For a player who picked up a total of 35 wickets in the previous two editions of IPL, it was disappointing to see Varun CV go wicketless in the T20 World Cup. Picked for the ‘mystery’ element, Varun failed to trouble the batsmen. Even the Scotland batters got used to the KKR spinner’s variations at the event. His level of fitness is also a concern for Team India. Varun seems to be a liability on the field and is missing games far too often. Therefore, Varun needs to get back to his best quickly to further his India career.
3) Shardul Thakur
Matches – 2 || Wickets – 0 || Average – 0 || Economy – 10.67
Shardul Thakur replaced Axar Patel in the main squad before the World Cup. The Mumbai cricketer played two encounters and was disappointing in both of them. While he was poor against New Zealand, giving away 17 runs in an over, he could not make an impact in the next encounter, too. He has not been considered for the upcoming T20I series against the Kiwis. It could be a result of his disastrous show at the T20 WC.
4) Rahul Chahar
Matches – 1 || Wickets – 0 || Average – 0 || Economy – 7.50
Rahul Chahar played only one game in the T20 World Cup. It was against Namibia, and it was an inconsequential encounter since India had already been knocked out of the competition. Having replaced Yuzvendra Chahal in the main squad, there were expectations that the Namibian batsmen would find it hard to face him. However, Rahul did not look frightening and ended wicketless. In an opportunity that he could have used to prove his skills, Rahul squandered it.
