If reports are to be believed, then Virat Kohli is a certainty in the Indian squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 tournament. Apart from this, Rishabh Pant, who made his return to cricket, and pacer Mayank Yadav are also in consideration for spots in the 15-member squad.
Virat Kohli has been the lone shining light for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the ongoing IPL 2024 tournament. Kohli made his comeback to cricket after a 2-month break in the IPL 17 and has the most runs thus far, scoring 316 runs in 5 matches, including one century.
As for the issue for selectors, it is how to accommodate Shubman Gill in the mix. With Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal set for the openers' role, followed by Kohli at No. 3, there are informal deliberations about whether he can be picked.
As per a report in Cricbuzz, the same discussion is being held for Yuzvendra Chahal. He is in top form at the moment, but has competition from Kuldeep Yadav and Akshar Patel, who bring his handy batting capabilities.
Names like Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Arshdeep Singh are more or less confirmed.
A big discussion is on whether Rishabh Pant should be included in the India squad or not. He is very good batting form in the IPL 2024 and has kept wickets wonderfully, without any obvious visible issue with his knee, which had undergone surgery.
Pant's scores in the IPL so far have been 18, 28, 51, 55 and 1. Pant has competition from the likes of Sanju Samson, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan and Jitesh Sharma, who will be fighting it out for the backup keeper slot.
Mayank Yadav, who broke onto the scene for LSG in the ongoing IPL 2024 and impressed with his speed and control over line and length, is also in fray for selection.
Mayank has captured the collective imagination of the cricket fraternity in the country with his pace. Having bowled the fastest ball so far in IPL 2024 at 156.7 kph, he has created the perception that he could be the next pace bowling sensation in the country.
The Indian team's brain trust, which includes selectors and team management, wants to see his fitness, game sense, consistency, and, of course, accuracy before reaching a decision on him. There is undoubtedly a desire to select him, but they are unsure whether he is ready for international cricket just yet.
(Cricbuzz report)
