Team India T20 World Cup preview: Rohit Sharma's men eye redemption; look to end ICC trophy jinx

There will be the usual favourites, the mavericks, the chokers and also the unpredictable minnows. The script is familiar for a World Cup but the scale would be unprecedented when the T20 showpiece, featuring a record 20 teams, spearheads cricket's audacious charge into the American market.

Team India might not have won an ICC trophy in 11 years but will go into the tournament as one of the favourites to lift the title. Rohit Sharma would be eager to shed the baggage of near-misses and would be eyeing to end the jinx, in what might be his last T20 World Cup.

Rohit's reputation as captain will definitely be on the line this time. Considering the unparalleled resources and depth that the sport's powerhouse has, most experts find it difficult to pinpoint India's trophy drought on the world stage over the past decade.

Rohit's predecessor Virat Kohli ended his tenure as the most successful Test captain but a global trophy eluded him.

Now Rohit is carrying that baggage of not winning a world title with India finishing runner-up in two ICC events over the past 12 months, including the juggernaut-ending loss to Australia in the ODI World Cup final at home.

Their outdated approach in the previous two T20 World Cups cost them dearly but they are unlikely to repeat those mistakes in the Americas.

The recently-concluded IPL showed how the batters are pushing boundaries and India's high-profile line-up needs to follow that risky path.

India is placed in Group A along with Pakistan, USA, Ireland and Canada. Rohit and Co. are scheduled to play three games at the makeshift facility in New York, including the blockbuster clash against Pakistan on June 9. They will take on Canada in Florida on June 15.

Drop-in pitches will be used at the brand-new facility with all teams entering unfamiliar territory.

India, however, will have the advantage of playing a warm-up game against Bangladesh at the same venue on June 1 before they take on Ireland in their opening league game on June 5.

India may not have the same batting firepower as compared to some of the rival teams but as pitches in the Caribbean are expected to be spin-friendly, they surely have all bases covered.

There are plots within plots that will unfold in the course of the next one month. And perhaps one of the most intriguing would be the one involving India, a team that looks so destined for an ICC trophy but has somehow managed to fall short after the 2013 Champions Trophy triumph.

India T20 World Cup squad:

Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj

Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan

India's Group: Group A

Pakistan, USA, Ireland, Canada

List of India matches:
1. June 1: Vs Bangladesh, New York, 8 PM IST (Warm-up)

2. June 5: Vs Ireland, New York, 8 PM IST (Group game)

3. June 9: Vs Pakistan, New York, 8 PM IST (Group game)

4. June 12: Vs USA, New York, 8 PM IST (Group game)

5. June 15: Vs Canada, Florida, 8 PM IST (Group game)