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India call Shardul Thakur into T20 World Cup squad with Axar Patel dropping onto the standby list

Shardul Thakur has taken 13 wickets for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL since the tournament resumed in the UAE in September; watch T20 World Cup live on Sky Sports from October 17; India's first game against Pakistan in Dubai on October 24

Shardul Thakur, India, T20 cricket (Getty Images)
Image: Shardul Thakur has replaced Axar Patel in India's 15-man T20 World Cup squad

Seam bowler Shardul Thakur has replaced left-arm spinner Axar Patel in India's 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup.

Thakur was maned as a reserve when India announced their preliminary squad last month but has now been added to the main group, with Axar joining Deepak Chahar and Shreyas Iyer on the standby list.

Thakur has taken 13 wickets for IPL finalists Chennai Super Kings since the T20 tournament resumed in the UAE in September, taking his tally for the season to 18 in 15 matches.

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The 29-year-old could be an option as a bowling all-rounder for India during the T20 World Cup in the UAE should Hardik Pandya, who has not bowled in the IPL this season, play as a specialist batter.

Axar's omission leaves Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar and Varun Chakravarthy as India's frontline spin options for the tournament.

India's first match is against Pakistan in Dubai on October 24, before further group games against New Zealand, Afghanistan and two qualifiers.

India's T20 World Cup squad: Virat Kohli (captain), Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishan Kishan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Mohammad Shami, Rohit Sharma, Shardul Thakur, Suryakumar Yadav

Also See:

Reserves: Deepak Chahar, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel

Additional players in team bubble: Avesh Khan, Umran Malik, Harshal Patel, Lukman Meriwala, Venkatesh Iyer, Karn Sharma, Shahbaz Ahmed, K Gowtham

Watch the T20 World Cup live on Sky Sports between October 17 and November 14.

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