India’s T20 World Cup Squad – A Conundrum Solved, a Big Name Omitted
India recently became the fourth team to announce their squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. Leading up to India’s squad announcement, there was intense speculation surrounding several positions in the team. However, all conjecture ended when the BCCI revealed their 15-member squad for the marquee event in West Indies and USA, with Rohit Sharma leading the team and Hardik Pandya named his deputy on Tuesday, 30 April.
Rishabh Pant is Back
Rishabh Pant’s return to competitive cricket has been a testament to his resilience and determination. A near-fatal car accident in December 2022 kept him away from the game for 14 months, but Pant embarked on a challenging journey of recovery and rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). He underwent surgery and extensive therapy for the multiple injuries sustained, including damage to three ligaments in his right knee.
After just a few appearances in the ongoing Indian Premier League, the 26-year-old has showcased glimpses of his best form, excelling both with the gloves and the bat. It did take Pant a few games to shake off the rust, but with three half-centuries thereafter, he finds himself among the top-five run-getters in the tournament with 398 runs at a strike rate of 158.56. The journey back has been arduous, painful, and, by Pant’s own admission, filled with doubts. But the comeback has proved without a shadow of a doubt that the setbacks are well and truly in the rearview mirror.
Samson, Chahal Recalled
Two of the biggest points of contention ahead of India’s squad announcement were the choice of wicketkeeper and wrist-spinner. With Rishabh Pant and Kuldeep Yadav certainties after their performances so far in the IPL, two places remained up for grabs. Sanju Samson and Yuzvendra Chahal have seized their opportunities and earned recalls with impressive displays in the ongoing tournament.
Chahal’s absence from the Indian team since August 2023 had raised doubts about his standing in the white-ball setup, especially after he missed significant tournaments like the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India and four bilateral T20I series. However, his recent IPL performances have orchestrated a remarkable comeback. He is the fifth highest wicket-taker with 13 scalps in nine matches and became the first-ever player to take 200 wickets in the tournament history.
His teammate and captain at the Rajasthan Royals, Samson, too is back in India colors and, for the very first time, in the squad for an ICC event. Samson has been prolific both as a batter and captain, scoring 385 runs in nine IPL innings at a strike rate of 161.08 while leading the Royals to eight wins in nine matches. The addition of the duo adds much-needed depth to the side as well as valuable experience to the Indian line-up, with the duo hopeful of making their T20 World Cup debuts in the Caribbean and USA.
Samson, Chahal recalled
Two of the biggest points of contention ahead of India’s squad announcement were the choice of wicketkeeper and wrist-spinner.
With Rishabh Pant and Kuldeep Yadav certainties after their performances so far in the IPL, two places remained up for grabs. Sanju Samson and Yuzvendra Chahal have seized their opportunities and earned recalls with impressive displays in the ongoing tournament.
Chahal’s absence from the Indian team since August 2023 had raised doubts about his standing in the white-ball setup, especially after he missed significant tournaments like the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India, and four bilateral T20I series.
However, his recent IPL performances – he is the fifth highest wicket-taker with 13 scalps in nine matches, and became the first-ever player to take 200 wickets in the tournament history – have orchestrated a remarkable comeback.
His teammate and captain at the Rajasthan Royals Samson too is back in India colours, and for the very first time, in the squad for an ICC event. Samson has been prolific both as a batter and captain, scoring 385 runs in nine IPL innings at a strike rate of 161.08 while leading the Royals to eight wins in nine matches.
The addition of the duo adds much-needed depth to the side as well as valuable experience to the Indian line-up, with the duo hopeful of making their T20 World Cup debuts in the Caribbean and USA.
KL Rahul misses out
He was a mainstay in the Indian batting lineup in the last two T20 World Cups and a pillar in the most recent 50-over World Cup, but Rahul failed to find a place in India’s squad for the T20 World Cup.
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