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In the lead-up to the imminent announcement of Team India’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2024, speculation is rampant regarding the composition of the 15-member contingent set to tour the USA and the West Indies. Numerous former India cricketers have weighed in on the debate, offering their own squad suggestions and navigating the challenging decisions faced by selectors. On Sunday, Aakash Chopra, India’s former Test opener, also revealed his squad for the prestigious tournament in June, which had some surprising inclusions.
Aakash stated before naming his squad that India need to have three options for the opening spot, as well as three each for the middle order and in the spin department. He then gave two slots each to wicketkeepers and all-rounders and named four fast bowlers in the squad.
Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal were the top two picks for Aakash, with Virat Kohli named next. However, the former India opener insisted that Kohli is slotted into his squad as an opening option and not for the No.3 spot. Kohli opens for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and currently has the most number of runs in IPL 2024; on Sunday, he became the first batter this season to reach the 500-run mark.
However, for Team India, Kohli has consistently batted at no.3 across both white-ball formats. Even former India captain Sourav Ganguly suggested that the 35-year-old veteran batter should open the Indian innings, as the team combination could be hampered with Kohli coming to bat later.
Suryakumar Yadav was the fourth pick for Aakash Chopra in his squad; the batter made a return to competitive cricket with the Indian Premier League this year. While reports suggest that there could be a shootout between Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh for one spot in the squad, Aakash has picked both in his 15-member touring party.
Dube has been in fine form over the past few months and is at his explosive best in the ongoing IPL for the Chennai Super Kings. While Rinku has had a comparatively quieter season, his performances for Team India since making the T20I debut last year have been brilliant. Hardik Pandya, meanwhile, also finds a place in Aakash’s squad, as he provides a much-needed extra bowling option for the side.
Hardik, too, has had a poor season on his return to Mumbai Indians this year; he is yet to score a half-century, and has picked only four wickets in nine appearances for the side. Joining him as the second all-round option is Ravindra Jadeja, who has also been a regular across all formats for the national team.
Aakash dropped Sanju Samson from the squad despite the wicketkeeper-batter’s brilliant performances for the Rajasthan Royals this season. KL Rahul was picked as wicketkeeper, with Rishabh Pant a likely first-choice for Aakash. However, there were more surprises in store as the former India opener moved to the bowling attack in the 15-member squad.
The famed Kul-Cha duo in Indian cricket has long been broken, but Aaksh insisted that he would want to see him back, as he picked Yuzvendra Chahal with Kuldeep Yadav as India’s spin options.
Furthermore, there was another surprise pick in Deepak Chahar, who has been away from contention for T20I spots for over three years. The other two were usual picks in Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh, as Mohammed Siraj didn’t find a place in Aakash’s squad.
The BCCI is likely to announce the Team India squad for the T20 World Cup on Monday.
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