After immense speculation and deliberation, the selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar finally revealed the Men’s national squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the US. Rohit Sharma will lead the team, with Hardik Pandya serving as his deputy.
Veteran batter Virat Kohli has made it to the squad, despite the talks around a dip in his strike rate, beyond the powerplay in T20s. The team also comprises two wicket-keepers Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson in the squad, with Jasprit Bumrah as the leader of the attack.
Here’s the complete squad:
Team India’s 2024 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, Md. Siraj
Reserves – Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan
The social media was abuzz after the men’s squad was announced, with several fans questioning Rinku Singh’s omission from the main squad. Some also questioned, Team India’s bowling depth with Arshdeep Singh and Md. Siraj getting the nod over the likes of in-form Harshit Rana, Avesh Khan, and others.
3 Major Takeaways from Team India’s Squad Announcement:
a) The return of the King – Virat Kohli
Given the stature of the man, Virat Kohli should walk into any team, but this time things were different. Although he is the holder of the Orange Cap at the moment (till April 29, 2024), there was a lot of noise in and around the strike rate with which Kohli was batting in the IPL.
He has 500 runs from 10 matches, with a strike rate of close to 148, yet fans were not convinced of having Kohli in the World T20, especially with batters who score at close to 170 or 180 strike rates.
However, the selectors might have thought of the big-match temperament and the experience that he carries and drafted the great man into the squad. At 35, this could be Virat Kohli’s last shot at the T20 World Cup silverware.
b) Rishabh Pant & Sanju Samon – The men behind the stumps:
For multiple reasons, Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson’s selection deserves to be celebrated. After what happened in December 2022, Pant’s return to competitive cricket in IPL 2024 has been remarkable, to say the least.
In Sanju Samson’s case, he left the selectors with no option but to pick him after his consistent and match-winning performances for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2024. With 385 runs from nine matches, Samson is the leading run scorer among all Indian wicketkeeper batters in the IPL 2024. His unbeaten 77 off 33 balls to guide the Rajasthan Royals home against the Lucknow Super Giants in a chase of 197 is probably the best of the lot.
c) Kul-Cha & Dube make their mark
The T20 World Cup squad also witnessed the return of wrist spinners – Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal into the national team. Chahal last played for India in August 2023, and has been the pick of the bowlers in IPL 2024 with 13 wickets from 9 matches. He is the only spinner in the race for the purple cap this season.
For Shivam Dube, the big man has been in tremendous form this season. He has played the role of a finisher for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. The southpaw has smashed 350 runs from 9 matches, at a whopping strike rate of 172.41. However, the tall fellow is yet to prove his credentials at the international level.
Team India will commence their T20 World Cup campaign against Ireland on June 05th in New York, followed by the big one against Pakistan at the same venue on June 09th. India’s last two fixtures are scheduled against the hosts USA and Canada on June 12th and June 15th.
