After much speculation and predictions in the last few weeks, the moment millions of Indian fans were waiting for with bated breath has finally arrived, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming 2021 T20 World Cup.

Despite Team India currently fighting it out in an enthralling Test series in England, the fans and experts had their one eye fixed on the T20 World team selection. And why wouldn’t it be? After all, it’s been more than a decade since India last won an ICC trophy.

"Former India Captain @msdhoni to mentor the team for the T20 World Cup" - Honorary Secretary @JayShah #TeamIndia

Each one of us, who follow cricket diligently, had picked the squad based on our own understanding of the game but, it’s fair to say, our list looked completely different to what was announced by BCCI secretary Jay Shah on Wednesday night.

The squad has plenty of surprises. 

First of all, MS Dhoni’s inclusion as the mentor of the team was the biggest surprise and brought a smile to all our faces. Veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was included in the white-ball squad after a long absence, while premier leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal couldn’t find a place in a squad that had five spinners in it.

Let’s have a look a seven hits and misses in India’s T20 World Cup squad announced by the BCCI:

1. Mahi Is Back! - Hit

The Reunion we all have been waiting for @msdhoni returns to mentor #TeamIndia for the #T20WorldCup

How excited are you to see him back? pic.twitter.com/znPWBLeYNo

Former Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is back with the Indian team -- albeit just for this tournament. The move makes sense, as despite performing well across formats, Team India has nothing to show for its efforts in terms of silverware.

So, having a legend who has been there and done that, winning all three ICC limited-overs trophies, is only going to help Virat Kohli and his team get closer to their goal. Also, the camaraderie Kohli and Dhoni share is very special and fans would hope that they weave their magic in the UAE and bring the trophy home.

2. Yuzvendra Chahal Left Out- Miss

Chahal’s not making it to the T20 World Cup squad was the biggest shock as most experts thought his place, not just in the squad but the PLaying XI, was all but guaranteed. Also, with Chahal playing under Kohli for RCB in the IPL, nobody thought he would lose his place to inexperienced Rahul Chahar. 

Not to forget the last time when the IPL was played in the UAE, Chahal had picked 21 wickets in just 15 matches, with an outstanding economy of 7.08 runs per over. The selectors have certainly overlooked his past record, otherwise, they wouldn’t have left him out.

3. Ravichandran Ashwin’s Shock Return - Hit

The veteran off-spinner has made a shock return to the squad after a long hiatus of four years. Despite performing well and troubling top-quality batsmen in the longest format, Ravichandran Ashwin was overlooked time and again and it seemed as if his white-ball was over.

Washington Sundar’s injury played a big role in Ashwin’s return as the selectors wanted to have a quality off-spinner in the side and in Sundar’s absence, Ashwin was their best bet. Also, most teams around the world have left-handers in their top-order and his love affair with the southpaws is no secret.

4. Deepak Chahar Ignored - Miss

Deepak Chahar impressed with both bat and ball on the Sri Lanka tour and everybody thought he had all but sealed his place in the T20 World Cup squad. However, the CSK medium pacer could only make the squad as one of three standby players.

The fact that the selectors went in with so many spin-bowling options forced them to include only three frontline fast bowlers in the squad -- Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami. 

Chahar has already shown that apart from being a potential wicket threat during the powerplay, he can be more than handy with the bat lower down the order. Having him in the squad certainly would have given Kohli more options.

5. Rahul Chahar - Hit

The fact that Virat Kohli and the selectors have picked Rahul Chahar ahead of the more experienced Yuzvendra Chahal speaks volumes of his quality. 

Playing for IPL champions Mumbai Indians that is full of stars, the 22-year-old leggie has made a giant stride in the last few years. In fact, he has become such an important part of Rohit Sharma’s side that he is one of the first names on the team sheet. When the IPL 2021 stopped earlier this year, he was on a roll picking up 11 wickets in just seven outings.

In whatever limited opportunities he has got, he has left a mark on the international stage as well and that is why selectors have preferred him to Yuzi Chahal.

6. No ‘Lord’ Shardul Thakur - Miss

Shardul Thakur had failed to make the cut despite showing his all-round brilliance in the fourth Test at the Oval. Everything he touched turned to gold in the match and most experts and fans were unanimous about his place in the team. Hence, it was surprising that he was only picked as a reserve player.

The selectors have shown immense faith in Hardik Pandya’s all-round abilities but we haven’t seen him bowl at full tilt yet, whereas Thakur by smashing the second-fastest Test fifty by an Indian player has shown the whole world what he is capable of. 

When it comes to bowling, there is no doubt that Thakur is way more skilful than Hardik.

7. Shikhar Dhawan - Miss

Another decision that surprised the whole world was the omission of veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan, who, as per selectors, has been “rested”. But you don’t need to be a genius to look past the hollowness of this statement.

The southpaw from Delhi captained a second-string side on the limited-overs tour to Sri Lanka and was India’s leading run-scorer in the three-match ODI series. Before that, he lit up the IPL 2021 with his performance, leading the Orange Cap race with 380 runs in eight matches.

The selectors picked Ishan Kishan instead of him as the backup opener who did well in Sri Lanka but struggled for runs in the first half of IPL 2021. 

Also, going into a big tournament like the T20 World Cup, it’s always good to have some experienced players in the side as they are better adept at dealing with pressure situations.

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