India World Cup squad- Rishabh Pant, Shivam Dube, and Sanju Samson made the cut for India’s 15-strong team at the 2024 T20 World Cup. Kick-off is June 1—it’s happening in the USA and West Indies. Tuesday afternoon, the squad’s announcement came through. Rohit Sharma, he’s the captain. And Hardik Pandya? He’s the numero uno—the vice-captain.
Yuzvendra Chahal didn’t play in South Africa and Afghanistan T20I series lately. However, his stellar IPL display has earned him a call-up. He joins the spin brigade consisting of Kuldeep Yadav, a left-arm wrist spinner, and two left-arm spin-bowling allrounders, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. All four bring a wealth of versatility to the team.
There are only three key pacers – Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Arshdeep Singh – with Hardik and Dube offering support as seam-bowling choices.
Yashasvi Jaiswal got Picked as Rohit’s Partner to open. Meanwhile, as a backup, Shubman Gill was selected. The other reserves include lower-order hitter, Rinku Singh, and speedy bowl throwers, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan.
Since his auto mishap in December 2022, Pant hasn’t stepped onto T20I turf. It was his IPL 2024 contributions that earned him back his spot. In 11 innings, he amassed 398 runs, boasting a strike rate of 158.56. His performance throughout the season has importantly squashed any reservations about his wicketkeeping abilities.
Samson Secured his First time World Cup Team pick
After losing his previous chance to Dinesh Karthik in 2022. Samson, like Pant, has shown great performance leading Rajasthan Royals, currently leading the IPL 2024 competition with eight of nine games in their favour. His game score touts 385 runs in nine rounds, boasting a strike rate of 161.08. However, the selection of Pant and Samson led to no space for KL Rahul or Jitesh Sharma. Rahul hasn’t participated in a T20I post the last World Cup. Jitesh may have been in India’s recent T20I teams, but his current IPL performance failed to impress.
Eight players, with captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli among them, were part of India’s 2022 T20 World Cup team. The BCCI made big changes after losing the semi-final to England, wanting to give younger players a go. But, Rohit and Kohli were back in the T20I team after being away for over a year. They rejoined just before the Afghanistan series at home in January.
The series witnessed Dube’s international comeback, as he scored a high of 124 runs in three innings. His knack for tackling spin in the middle overs for Chennai Super Kings across the last two IPL seasons, and his enhanced skills against fast bowling in 2024, made him a persuasive selection. Rinku, India’s chosen finisher in T20I for the past eight months, was left out of the 15 due to Dube’s entry.
Chahal last participated in a T20I game eight months ago. Soon, he might play his first T20 World Cup match after taking the field in 80 T20Is over time. In 2021, Rahul Chahar took his spot and in 2022, R Ashwin and Axar Patel stood out in India’s XI. Meanwhile, Chahal watched from the sidelines. Chahal’s record in IPL 2024 shows 13 wickets in nine matches, boasting an economy rate of 9.00 even though he bowled during challenging death overs.
Before Rohit Rejoined the T20I Squad in January
Hardik mostly held the skipper reigns post the 2022 T20 World Cup. When Hardik encountered an ankle injury at the ODI World Cup in October-November, Suryakumar Yadav took charge. He led our boys in the five T20I homestands versus Australia in November. Plus, he managed the three matches in South Africa during December. After bouncing back from an ankle trauma and sports hernia during the IPL, he’s set for the imminent World Cup. This will mark his first T20I since his return.
The team heads to America from India in separate groups. The initial crew departs on May 21. This team includes chief coach Rahul Dravid, and some staff, along with players from IPL 2024 teams not in the playoffs. May 19 marks the end of IPL 2024 league games. Playoffs kick off on May 21 and wrap up on May 26.
India will kick off their World Cup journey facing Ireland on June 5 in New York. They will then match-up with Pakistan, USA, and Canada on June 9th, 12th, and 15th respectively.