The BCCI selection committee is set to meet in Ahmedabad with the aim of coming to a decision about India’s T20 World Cup squad and who will be making the trip to the West Indies and the US for the upcoming ICC event. Reports came in on April 29, Monday that the meeting was all set to happen in Ahmedabad with the squad announcement deadline being on May 1. While there is no confirmation if the squad will be announced on Tuesday, we can expect some big calls to be made during the meeting.
There are quite a few talking points that would be expected during the meeting, ranging from the wicketkeeper’s spot to the reserves who should be travelling with the squad for the ICC tournament. Let’s take a look at them one by one as we get closer to knowing the stars representing India at the T20 World Cup.
Hardik Pandya’s poor form
Hardik Pandya’s return to MI was expected to be a fairytale but things haven’t gone according to plan. After being out of action since the ODI World Cup last year, Hardik would return to MI and take up the captaincy from Rohit Sharma. However, his performances with bat and ball has been a cause of worry for MI and the selectors.
Hardik has scored 197 runs in 9 matches so far for MI at a strike-rate of 151.53 and an average of 24.63. However, he has been floating up and down the order, which may not be expected from him during the T20 World Cup as he would be expected to come in at No.5 or No.6.
Hardik’s bowling has also been a concern as the MI skipper has conceded 227 runs from the 19 overs he has bowled, with an economy rate over 11 and an average of 56.75. He only has 4 wickets to his name during this time and the numbers don’t paint a pretty picture at the moment.
The spinners
Yuzvendra Chahal has continued in his merry ways in the IPL once again, and has 13 wickets from 9 matches and is just outside the top 5 in the Purple Cap standings. Chahal was part of the squad in 2022, but couldn’t play a single game for the side.
Kuldeep Yadav has 12 wickets from 8 matches, with Axar forming a deadly duo with him at DC with 9 scalps to his name. However, the likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravi Bishnoi have struggled in IPL 2024 for consistency.
With the pitches in West Indies expected to be spin-friendly, it remains to be seen if the selection committee would pick three or even four spinners for the tournament.
The openers and the Kohli conundrum
Rohit Sharma will be leading the Indian team and it means that one opener’s spot will be fixed in the side. This means that it will be a tussle between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill for the remaining spot. Or is it?
A certain Virat Kohli is rolling back the years with his batting in IPL 2024, scoring 500 runs and leading the Orange Cap charts. Statistically, in terms of strike-rate and average, this is Kohli’s best season after his 2016 heroics where he scored 973 runs.
It will be interesting to see if Kohli would open with Rohit or come in at No.3 for the side, something he did in the 2022 edition.
Rahul vs Samson vs Pant
There would be two wicketkeeper spots in the squad and we have three contenders at the moment. Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson and KL Rahul have all led their sides well with the gloves on and are in sparkling form with the bat.
All three men have more than 350 runs this season, with close to reaching the 400-run mark. One of the major talking points would be who will make the cut as the wicketkeepers. Will Samson finally get his chance or will Pant have to wait for his return to international cricket?
The standbys
While the main squad will be the primary focus, the travelling reserves would also be of equal importance. The likes of Riyan Parag and Khaleel Ahmed have been impressive in the IPL 2024 season and could be amongst the ones on standby in case of an injury.
Apart from this, all eyes will also be on Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh to see if both men make it to the final 15 for the T20 World Cup.
Tune In