While Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have retained their positions in the squad, and Yuzvendra Chahal making a comeback, several gun players have been left out by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee, that has raised eyebrows all around
The BCCI selection committee on Tuesday (Apr 30) named the 15-member provisional squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup, scheduled to start in the West Indies and United States in June.
While Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have retained their positions in the squad, and Yuzvendra Chahal making a comeback, several gun players have been left out by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee, that has raised eyebrows all around
Rinku Singh:
One of the biggest names to miss out on the squad is Rinku Singh who has been put in the four-man reserve squad. Singh has had a relatively sedate IPL so far and the selectors have gone ahead with power hitter Shivam Dube ahead of him.
In his short 15-match T20I career so far, Singh has scored 356 runs at an average of 89 and strike rate of 176.24 – a stat combination that not many modern batters can boast of.
Shubman Gill:
The star Indian opener was a guaranteed starter in the Indian squad prior to the IPL but some modest contributions with the bat for Gujarat Titans led to his demotion.
With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli making it to the squad, it was always going to be a touch-and-go scenario for Gill who would now have to wait in the wings for an opportunity.
Also read | T20 World Cup 2024: India’s squad to be led by Rohit Sharma; Pant & Samson in, Rahul out
Ruturaj Gaikwad:
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain, Ruturaj Gaikwad has been having a stellar season with the bat so far. Having already smashed a century and nearly getting another in consecutive matches, Gaikwad would be crestfallen to not have even made it to the reserves for the World Cup.
Ravi Bishnoi:
With Yuzvendra Chahal on the periphery of the Indian squad for a long time, many believed that Ravi Bishnoi was going to partner Kuldeep Yadav in the World Cup. However, the selectors went ahead with tried-and-tested Chahal in the squad.
Mukesh Kumar:
The pacer had been in the reckoning for the Indian squad, having played the T20I series against Afghanistan in January. However, the selectors preferred to go with the known commodities that have been doing the heavy-lifting in the pace department for the last few years.
Notably, according to ICC guidelines, all teams are allowed to make changes to their squad until May 25, after which any alteration will require approval from ICC’s Event Technical Committee.
India 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
(With inputs from agencies)
