When India’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 was announced last month, the fans and experts were left surprised with some notable inclusions and snubs.
The selectors opted to go with experience as they included Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the squad. All-rounder Hardik Pandya also made it to the 15-member squad as vice-captain despite the scrutiny over his form and bowling fitness.
Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant are the two designated wicketkeepers in the side 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 squad. Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh will assist India's pace battery led by Jasprit Bumrah.
Speaking on JioCinema, India skipper Rohit Sharma said they knew what their the T20 World Cup-squad would be like and 70 per cent of the players had clarity about their roles heading into the IPL 2024.
"We thought a lot about the team we ultimately selected for the World Cup. The spinners, seamers, batters, and keepers, we knew before the IPL who we would take to the World Cup,” Rohit stated.
"The IPL performances for everyone can be up and down, so we didn't focus too much on that. We needed to see the performances of certain players, but it was important for us to give everyone the clarity they needed.
"Everyone going into the IPL needed clarity of whether they would participate in the team and what their role would be so they could practice and play accordingly. All of these indicators we had shared with 70% of the team before the IPL," he added.
Rohit finished the IPL 2024 season with 417 runs from 14 matches at an average of 32.08 and a strike rate of 150, including one hundred and a half-century.
The former Mumbai Indians captain acknowledged that he could not match the expected batting standards in the ongoing IPL.
While Rohit started the campaign strongly, he endured a lean patch in the second half of the season, struggling to cross a score of 20 in six matches for MI.
"As a batter, I know I didn't live up to the standard. But, after playing for all these years, I know that if I overthink, I won't play well," he said.
Rohit scored 68 off 38 balls in MI’s last match against LSG but the five-time champions ended up on the losing side and finished the season at the bottom of the table.
"All I try is to stay in a good mindset, in the right zone, keep practicing, and improve on all the flaws in my game. That's all I kept doing.
"Our season didn't go according to plan. We blame ourselves for this because we made too many mistakes during the season. We lost many games that we should have won, but that's the nature of the IPL. You get a few chances and when those chances come, you must grab them."
(With PTI Inputs)
