India’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 was announced on Tuesday (April 30) and the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee pulled a few surprises with notable inclusions and omissions.
Despite the scrutiny over his form and bowling fitness, all-rounder Hardik Pandya made it to the T20 World Cup squad as vice-captain. Rohit Sharma has been named the skipper of the side, also featuring star batter Virat Kohli.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Suryakumar Yadav also found a place in the team. Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant are the two designated wicketkeepers in the squad as the selectors overlooked KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan.
Wrist-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal earned a recall in the national side for the showpiece tournament. Besides Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and Akshar Patel are the spinning options in the 15-member squad.
Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh will assist India's pace battery led by Jasprit Bumrah. Shivam Dube was rewarded with a place in India’s T20 World Cup squad for his strong performance in the ongoing IPL season for Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
The BCCI also announced a list of four reserve players - Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Avesh Khan and Khaleel Ahmed - who will be travelling with the squad.
However, Rinku’s absence from the main squad left the fans and experts shocked. The southpaw may have failed to live up to the expectations in IPL 2024, he has performed exceptionally well in whatever opportunities he has received to represent India in the shortest format.
In 15 T20Is and 11 innings so far, Rinku Singh has amassed 356 runs at an average of 89 and a strike rate of 176.24, including two half-centuries. In particular, the left-hander has done well as a finisher while batting in the middle order.
The members of the cricket fraternity shared mixed reactions on India’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2024.
Here are the reactions:
