The BCCI selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, is likely to prioritize experience over rookie IPL performers for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, slated to be held in the West Indies and USA from June 1 to June 29.
However, a few seasoned players might be overlooked in the 15-member squad, set to be announced by the end of this month. ICC's deadline for team submissions is May 1 while the participating teams will have the opportunity to modify their preliminary squads until May 25.
"There would not be any experimentation or left-field selections. All those who have played for India and have done well consistently in T20 Internationals and the IPL will be rewarded," a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
According to the report, one between Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal might miss out. However, if both proven performers are selected in the final 15, then only one among two finishers - Rinku Singh or Shivam Dube -- will get the nod.
Another tight call could be for the second wicketkeeper's slot where Sanju Samson has competition from Jitesh Sharma, KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan.
Rahul and Kishan open the innings for their respective IPL teams, and they haven't tried batting in the middle order in this season so far, which makes it difficult for the selectors to evaluate their impact down the order.
Although the team management is sweating over all-rounder Hardik Pandya's bowling fitness, there is no immediate doubt on his selection. Similarly, star batter Virat Kohli's inclusion is also a formality.
Among other automatic selections include Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav. If fit, these 10 names will definitely feature in the T20 World Cup 2024 squad.
It is learnt that Siraj is being rested by RCB as he has been playing constantly and needed workload management.
Before the IPL 2024 season, Jaiswal was the frontrunner but Gill seems to have pipped him after the first few matches of the competition. While the RR opener is yet to hit a half-century, the GT captain has been consistent. However, the selection committee might not give up easily on Jaiswal, who also gives the team an option of a left-hander.
If Gill continues to pile up runs, it will be a difficult choice unless the selectors accommodate both and drop one among Dube and Rinku from the 15.
The reserve spinner's slot could also be a three-way battle among Akshar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravi Bishnoi. While Chahal is superior in terms of skills, his repeated omissions from important squads leaves a big question mark about his inclusion in the showpiece event.
The likes of Riyan Parag, Mayank Yadav, Abhishek Sharma, and Harshit Rana have all impressed in the ongoing IPL but it is understood that the selection committee would like to follow the process of easing them in via bilateral cricket instead of putting them to test in the high-stake T20 World Cup games.
There are two white-ball series scheduled against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka post the T20 World Cup and these youngsters would be in line for their India debuts at that time. Nitish Reddy, who is a seam bowling all-rounder and was part of India Emerging side that toured Sri Lanka last year, could also follow the same path.
It will be interesting to see if BCCI makes arrangements for the likes of Mayank Yadav, Harshit Rana or Akash Madhwal to be taken as net bowlers, which will also give them good exposure.
List of 20 Probables:
Specialist Batters (6): Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh
All-Rounders (4): Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Akshar Patel.
Specialist Spinners (3): Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi.
Wicketkeeper-batter (3): Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Sanju Samson.
Pacers (4): Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan.
(With PTI Inputs)
