India’s T20 World Cup Squad: The T20 World Cup Squad announcements are just a few moments away as we approach the deadline set by the International Cricket Council (ICC). With just a little over a month left for the event, the Indian headlines are filled with anticipations as to who will be included in the 15-men Indian squad.
As per the available details, the Ajit Agarkar-led Indian selection committee is set to name India’s T20 World Cup squad on Monday, April 29, while the deadline to submit the finalised squad is May 01.
Team India is going to have a string of selection headaches to solve. Right from the opening position to the backup players, it is going to be a task for the selection committee and the Indian management to shortlist the final 15 individuals to travel to the Caribbean and the USA for the T20 World Cup 2024, which begins on June 1.
There will be conundrums around the opening position with Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal competing fiercely for a spot. The wicketkeeping role is another headache for the Indian think-tank followed by a task to pick an all-rounder.
Openers – Shubman Gill or Yashasvi Jaiswal
While Rohit Sharma is a confirmed selection, who will also have the onus to lead the side in the T20 World Cup 2024, the choice will be between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill.
Many experts believe that Team India will benefit if the team chooses to form a left-hand right-hand opening combination by picking Yashasvi Jaiswal, rather than an all-right-hand combination with Shubman Gill.
Moreover, Jaiswal is also an attacking batter, who can hunt down the opposition in the powerplays providing a solid start to the team. Shubman Gill on the other side has the knack of playing big knocks by setting up the innings.
However, both the batters haven’t picked up the firing lines in the ongoing IPL 2024. Gill, with the captaincy burden of Gujarat Titans, has amassed 320 runs in 10 innings, while Jaiswal has managed to pile up 249 runs in nine innings so far.
Wicketkeepers – Samson vs KL Rahul
The other big challenge would be the selection of a backup wicketkeeper in the side. While Rishabh Pant is expected to don the role of primary wicketkeeper in the side, the slot for the backup wicketkeeper needs to be filled with a lot of players in contention.
Two of the key options will be Sanju Samson and KL Rahul, who have lit up the stage with their performances in the ongoing season of the IPL. Both the players were in action light night against each other. However, it was Samson, who took his side over the rope against KL Rahul’s LSG by seven wickets.
Noting a significant difference in the approach of the two wicketkeepers, Graeme Smith said, “They (Rahul and Samson) needed to build a partnership. Rahul did it with (Deepak) Hooda and Sanju did it beautifully with Dhruv Jurel. The difference was that Sanju finished the game, while KL got out at a key phase. But it was brilliant to see both excellent players put their hands up for World Cup selection.”
All-Rounders – Hardik Pandya or Shivam Dube?
The other key puzzle the Indian selectors have on their plate is the selection of the all-rounder. Though Hardik Pandya comes out to be a clear winner in this race, his position in the squad is questionable.
Though Shivam Dube is also in contention, he hasn’t bowled so far in the IPL 2024, which is a concern for the team. The impact player rule has sidelined Shivam Dube’s prowesses as a bowler in the side, who just comes in and torments the opposition with his batting skills.
Hardik Pandya has bowled a good number of overs, but his performance has been concerning. He hasn’t fired at all with his bowling, despite bowling some of the crucial wicket-taking overs. Moreover, barring a few matches, his batting has also remained disappointing.
India’s T20 World Cup Squad Predicted
Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Sanju Samson (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Sandeep Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel