Two days after the announcement of India’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2024, BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar attended a press conference, where he addressed queries on under-fire Hardik Pandya’s inclusion in the side.
Agarkar defended the selection of Hardik, citing that "there is no replacement for what he can do" when the flamboyant all-rounder is fit.
While leading Mumbai Indians (MI) in the ongoing IPL season, Hardik has failed to live up to the expectations, particularly in the bowling department. He has bowled a total of 23 overs from 8 out of 10 games so far, claiming only 6 wickets while conceding runs at an economy rate of 11.
With the bat, Pandya has scored 197 runs at an average of 21.89 and a strike rate of 150.38. He is yet to hit a half-century in the IPL 2024.
Despite the scrutiny over his form, Hardik Pandya was retained as vice-captain of the 15-member squad.
"Nothing was discussed on vice-captaincy. He has got through all games so far for Mumbai Indians. We have month and a little bit for our first game. As long as he is fit, there is no replacement for what he can do," Agarkar told reporters when asked about the all-rounder's selection.
"He's coming after a longish layoff. We are hoping he's working on it. Especially the way he bowls, he'll give (captain) Rohit a lot of balance and options," he added.
Agarkar also explained why KL Rahul was not considered for selection in India's T20 World Cup squad, mentioning that they were looking for "guys" who can bat in the middle. Thus, the likes of Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant got the nod.
"KL's a terrific player, we all know that. The thing is we were looking for is guys who bat at the middle and KL bats at the top. We feel Sanju has the ability to come down the order. Rishabh is batting at 5, that was more the thinking. Two incredible players as well," the chairman of selection committee remarked.
Team India’s 15-member squad for T20 World Cup 2024:
Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, Akshar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh
Travelling Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan
(With PTI Inputs)
