The Indian team is far from being a finalist for the T20 World Cup. There will be heated debates over the opening batsman’s position, the two wicketkeepers, the backup spinner and of course the power hitter in the middle order. Apart from the IPL and recent international performances, the team management’s requirements for the conditions in West Indies and USA could become the deciding factor in finalizing the 15. But there are 10 names who will be a part of the team in some way. He is certain to board a flight to USA in June this year.
T20 World Cup team: An informed source of BCCI has given a lot of information to the news agency PTI about the names which are confirmed for the T20 World Cup.
T20 World Cup Update
T20 World Cup Captain Rohit Sharma, head coach Rahul Dravid and chief selector Ajit Agarkar reportedly want Hardik Pandya to bowl more often, but the PTI report says there are no immediate doubts over his selection. The team management will keep a close eye on his bowling in IPL 2024 but to some extent, he is still the premier fast bowling all-rounder in the country.
Like Hardik, Virat Kohli’s inclusion is also a formality. A report in Dainik Jagran on Wednesday claimed that Kohli may be asked to open with Rohit in the T20 World Cup, which will give India an opportunity to play power hitters in the middle overs. Kohli is the Orange Cap holder for IPL 2024 and has been opening for Royal Challengers Bangalore for the last few seasons.
Opening in T-20 is nothing new for him. His record as an opening batsman in T20I is quite good. In 9 opening innings in T20Is, Kohli has scored 400 runs at an average of 57, which is higher than his career T20I average of 51. Additionally, when Kohli opens the batting in this format, his strike rate increases from 138 to 161. , His only T20I century, which is also the highest individual score by an Indian in the shortest format, came while opening the batting against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup 2022.
Other automatic selections include captain Rohit Sharma, No. 1 T20 batsman Suryakumar Yadav, fast bowling attack leader Jasprit Bumrah, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, fast bowlers Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj and spinner Kuldeep Yadav. These 10 names, if suitable, will definitely be on the transatlantic flight. Almost nine of them are confirmed to be in the final eleven. Depending on the conditions in the USA and Caribbean, either Arshdeep or Siraj could sit out to allow the team to field an extra spinner.
It is understood that Siraj is being rested by RCB as he has been playing consistently and needs workload management.
Gill vs Jaiswal; Rinku or Dubey?
T20 World Cup Now coming to the remaining spots where there are many contenders… It is safe to say that Pant has cemented his place as the gloveman for Delhi Capitals with his impressive performances as both a batsman and a keeper, but as it is away from the World Cup The team management at home will definitely keep another keeper as backup.
The contenders for that are Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul, Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma. Of these, Kishan and Rahul have never batted in the middle order in T20. Jitesh is perfect for this role but his form in IPL 2024 has not been good. Samson, although batting at No. 3 for RR, has experience batting in the middle order. His excellent form this year makes him the frontrunner to take the second keeper’s spot.
Only three of Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh and Shivam Dubey will be selected in the team. If Kohli opens, both Rinku and Dubey are likely to get a chance.
There is a triangular fight between Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel and Ravi Bishnoi for the backup spinner’s spot. Akshar’s batting ability gives him an edge.
T20 World Cup team Probable 20 in contention (15+5 standby):
Specialist Batsmen (6): Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh
All-rounders (4): Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dubey, Axar Patel.
Specialist Spinners (3): Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi.
Wicketkeeper-batsmen (3): Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Sanju Samson.
Pacers (4): Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan.
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