Assessing India’s Chances at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022

The countdown has begun to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup this autumn. Fresh from their narrow 2-1 win in their one-day international (ODI) series with England, India still have the small matter of three ODIs and five T20 games in the West Indies, as well as three additional ODIs with recently qualified Zimbabwe prior to the start of India’s Group B campaign in the Super 12. Already the bookmakers are weighing up the respective chances of the leading nations going into the eighth Men’s T20 World Cup in history. In the lead up to the tournament, sites with enhanced odds or event-specific promotions are likely to throw their weight behind a hotly-tipped nation. Could that country be India this year?

The host nation for this year’s tournament is Australia, so it’s no surprise to find the Aussies are at the top of the pile as pre-tournament favourites. Australia are always fiercely competitive and even tougher to beat on home soil. However, India and England are both given a good chance of upsetting the home crowd and going on to win the competition, with each team best priced at 7/2 as of 19^th July 2022.

Can India justify being second favourites for the T20 World Cup 2022?

Keen cricket statisticians will be fascinated to learn that no country has managed to win more than one T20 World Cup in the tournament’s existence. India won the inaugural event in Johannesburg in 2007 but has failed to regain the trophy in the last six competitions. The closest they came to bagging their second T20 World Cup came in 2014 when Sri Lanka edged out India in Bangladesh to win an edgy encounter by six wickets.

Nevertheless, the Indian national team is littered with talent in the shorter formats of the sport. India defeated England recently in both the 50-over and 20-over formats, with their first T20 win the most impressive of the lot. India racked up 198/8 off 20 overs, going at a rate of almost ten runs per over. England was skittled out in their run chase for just 148, giving India a 50-run victory. It helped set the tone for the rest of the series, which India went on to win 2-1.

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Dinesh Karthik is confident of India’s T20 success ‘down under’

In May, India’s wicketkeeper-batter, Dinesh Karthik, insisted the team had a “strong chance” of landing this year’s T20 World Cup. That was before India’s successful T20 series in England. Karthik has returned to the international scene to good effect for India. In India’s five-match T20 series with South Africa earlier this summer, Karthik showed impressive application from the middle order, bludgeoning a 30 not-out and a half-century (55) against the Proteas.

International cricketer turned commentator, Sanjay Manjrekar, believes that Karthik’s recent form could even spell problems for Ravindra Jadeja’s return to the T20 fold later this year. Squads for the T20 World Cup are soon to be formally announced and Manjrekar recently claimed Jadeja’s place on the plane down under could be in jeopardy. He described Karthik’s recent form as “phenomenal” demonstrating that he can be a “pure batter” as India’s “number 6 or 7”.

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Karthik’s return to form has also coincided with a glaring lack of form from Jadeja. In the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL), Jadeja averaged only 19.33 runs and took a meager five wickets in competition.

The final groups were recently confirmed for the Super 12, with India paired with arch-rivals Pakistan. However, they have evaded the likes of Australia, England, and New Zealand, all of whom are placed in a ‘group of death’-style Group 1. India is joined in Group 2 by Bangladesh and South Africa. While one of Namibia, Sri Lanka, UAE, and the Netherlands and one of Ireland, West Indies, Scotland, and Zimbabwe will also join them for the Super 12 stage.

The Indian squad is jam-packed with potential match-winners. Ravi Bishnoi is one of the fastest developing leg spinners on the planet, while the variety of Avesh Khan and the consistency of Harshal Patel can help to stifle batting attacks. India should comfortably ease themselves out of the Super 12 stage, but any team that wins this year’s T20 will need some good fortune on their side, as well as application.