T20 World Cup 2022: Are reserve players key to India's T20 World Cup success?

Bumrah is not just a vital cog of the side; his ability with both new and old balls and his capability to single-handedly change the trajectory of a match makes him the strike bowler for India. 

As such, his is a potential absence that will be deeply felt. But he isn't the only injury concern ahead of the multi-national tournament. 

Deepak Hooda, who many expected to be the backup middle-order batsman, also picked up an injury in the Australia series and was ruled out of the South Africa T20Is. 

Hooda's absence is a double blow in some ways because he also offers himself as a bowling option – although it's not clear just how much faith the team management has in his ability with the ball. 

But the potential absence of these two men shines a brighter spotlight on India's reserve players for the World Cup. 

India has both Deepak Chahar and Mohammed Shami in the pace bowling department. And in the case of a batsman, there is Shreyas Iyer – who got handed an unlikely lifeline and is part of the South Africa series. 

Now, it is clear that even the backups come with their complications. Shami and Chahar are both excellent new ball operators, but neither of them has the kind of ability that Bumrah has as far as bowling in the death is concerned. 

With Shami, the waters are further muddied by the fact that he was supposed to be part of the Australia T20I series but then tested positive for COVID-19 and only recovered recently – after the South Africa series got underway. 

And in the case of Shreyas, he has two areas of concern. The first is that, unlike Hooda, he doesn't offer himself as a bowling option. 

The second is that he was discarded in the first place because he had an apparent weakness against short ball bowling – one team management felt would hold him back in Australia. 

So, in essence, India has quality backup players – but they all come with specific problem areas. Which makes it all the more imperative that they step up to the plate if called upon. 

It is never easy to win a World Cup – India themselves hasn't won the T20 World Cup since 2007. But this time around, it will be doubly challenging. 

And this means that the reserves, should they get the nod, will need to shine brighter than usual. It is not easy to replace a player of Bumrah's quality – but a Shami or a Chahar have skillsets of their own that can be maximized. 

The same can be said about Shreyas – his stats in international cricket don't poorly read at all, even with his apparent deficiency against short bowling. 

India will need their backups to deliver the goods when called upon – or another early exit beckons.