World T20: Rahul vs Sanju, Avesh vs Bishnoi & Axar, Pandya's form under scrutiny

KL Rahul is believed to be slightly ahead of Sanju Samson in the race for second wicketkeepers slot even as Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandyas indifferent batting form remains a worry for the national selection panel which is expected to announce the 15member squad for the World T20 in Americas by the end of this monthThe other bone of contention in drafting the final squad could be the choice of an extra bowlerIt remains to be seen whether an extra pace bowler in Avesh Khan will be accommodated or whether the choice would be between Lucknow Super Giants legspinner Ravi Bishnoi and Delhi Capitals allrounder Axar Patel considering the low and slow tracks in the West IndiesIt is understood that skipper Rohit Sharma is likely to have a meeting with chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar to discuss the outline of the teamWith the ICC setting a May 1 deadline for the announcement of 15member squads for World T20 the BCCI is expected to reveal the names anytime between the end of this week or the beginning of next weekPandya has so far bowled 17 overs out of a possible 32 in eight games for MIAs a designated finisher he has hit only seven sixes in these games which is below par by every measure The freeflowing batswing is completely missing in the 150 odd runs that he has scored in the tournament so far at a strikerate of 142However Pandya can be called a TINA option There Is No Alternative for the selectors as Shivam Dube who is also expected to board the New York bound flight isnt bowling eitherAlso in terms of skill and pace Dube the bowler isnt anywhere close to Pandya but his current batting form 22 sixes in eight games cant be ignored eitherIt can be safely concluded that Rishabh Pant who is now third among the top rungetters in the competition with 342 at a strike rate of 161 has sealed his place as the teams No 1 keeperbatter and also as a designated finisherThe fight is pretty intense for the second keepers slot and despite KL Rahul 302 at 141 SR not batting in the middleorder his range of strokes might just help him pip Samson 314 at SR 152Also ReadWaistlevel conundrumSamson might again have to be content with being a standby inclusion like last years 50 over World CupThe five bowlers who have all but sealed their places are Jasprit Bumrah Arshdeep Singh Mohammed Siraj Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep YadavHowever save Bumrah and Kuldeep the other Indian bowlers havent been in great form during IPL and hence the choice of an extra bowler becomes very importantIt will be a threeway fight between Rajasthan Royals pacer Avesh Delhi Capitals leftarm spin bowling allrounder Axar and Lucknow Super Giants legspinner BishnoiAvesh who has improved a lot as far as his death bowling is concerned has eight wickets from as many matches with an economy rate of 941 while Bishnoi has only taken five wickets but on flat tracks his economy of 847 can be considered impressiveAxar who has seven scalps from nine games but is bowling at an rate of just above 7 would be a brilliant choice too taking the conditions into considerationAdd to it his batting prowess scoring runs at a strike of 132 and also the fact that he is a very good allround fielderWith agency inputs