It’s that time of the year again when India will get a chance to end their ICC trophy drought. The T20 World Cup 2024 is now around the corner and its participants are preparing for the flagship event to be held in the United States and West Indies later this year in June. Whatever you say about prioritizing domestic cricket or not, the ongoing IPL 2024 season will be more important for T20 World Cup selection than any other domestic tournament. Hence, the high-profile T20 league will be crucial for contenders to stake a claim in India’s 15-member T20 World Cup 2024 squad as there is not even a week between the IPL and the upcoming ICC T20 event. ,ipl 2024 points table,
Almost one-third of the IPL is over and some of the contenders have already made their mark in the league. Let’s first look at some players who are reasonable certainty. Any such list should always start with captain Rohit Sharma, he will open the proceedings along with Yashasvi Jaiswal. And once you bring back Rohit, there is no point leaving Virat Kohli behind, knowing that India’s batting still revolves around him.
The only other batsman who will surely fly for West Indies and the United States is Suryakumar Yadav, looking to score a half-century off 17 balls against RCB on his return. Apart from these star batsmen, Jasprit Bumrah is also an undrafted player for the ICC event.
There is every possibility that the places of Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja will be confirmed in the spin department. Meanwhile, the return of Rishabh Pant and the excellent form of Yuzvendra Chahal has also surprised the Indian think tank.
Before the team is announced, the selectors will be eagerly looking for answers to their questions from the IPL. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the debate-provoking points on T20 WC team selection.
Seam-bowling all-rounder as sixth bowling option
If fully fit and in form, new Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya is a surefire starter. But the selectors would like to see what kind of role he plays for their IPL team. After five matches this season, Hardik has scored 129 runs at an average of 11.12 in three innings.
Meanwhile, Shivam Dubey has had a great start in IPL 2024, scoring 176 runs in five innings at an impressive strike rate of 160, but he is yet to bowl in this IPL and that remains a challenge for the selectors. . However, it will be interesting to see how Shivam Dubey will be included in the playing eleven.
Is wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant ready for T20 World Cup?
PBKS batsman Jitesh Sharma was the closest contender for the wicketkeeper’s role at the start of the IPL, but the decision-makers would ideally have liked to see him in international matches a bit more.
However, Rishabh Pant’s return has removed the lingering doubts over his recent form in the IPL. The left-handed batsman scored 196 runs in six innings at an average of 157.72. Pant faces competition from players like Sanju Samson, KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan, who can compete for the second wicketkeeper spot in the team.
“Yeah, look it’s great for Indian cricket, but it’s also great for Rishabh Pant. I think the work that has been done in his rehabilitation to get back to that level of play at any level It is an amazing achievement.
“He deserves a lot of credit for his hard work and it’s great to see him captaining on the field and playing well, batting and keeping,” former Australia captain Michael Clarke told IPL broadcaster Star Sports.
Pant, who has undergone knee surgery, has shown that he is ready for batting and keeping.
Does Virat Kohli deserve a place in the team?
Former India captain Virat Kohli tops the Orange Cap list with 319 runs in six matches at an average of 79.75, including a century.
Despite some naysayers about his ‘anchoring’ strike rate, there is no way he should be dropped.
Virat has been a complete match-winner for India since his international debut. In the T20 World Cup, he has scored 1,141 runs in 25 innings at an impressive average of 81.50 and a strike rate of over 130.
With vast experience of 117 T20I matches, Virat’s presence in the middle order as an anchor will only provide balance with the flamboyant and aggressive style of Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Rinku Singh and Shivam Dubey.
Apart from Bumrah, fast bowler
Jasprit Bumrah is definitely there. He will lead India’s pace battery in the T20 World Cup. But, India needs two more fast players in the starting eleven for the ICC event. With Mohammed Shami out of contention due to injury and Bhuvneshwar Kumar not in India’s T20 plans since the 2022 edition of the T20 World Cup, there is no one close to Bumrah in terms of quality and experience.
The last team to play against Afghanistan included Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan and Mukesh Kumar. One of the best fast bowlers across all formats, Mohammed Siraj is conceding runs at an average of 10.40 in the ongoing IPL and has only four wickets to his name after six matches.
There was talk of including Lucknow Super Giants fast bowler Mayank Yadav in the team, but he still needs some international matches to prove his worth.
With India’s 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup 2024 likely to be announced in the last week of April, these contenders have limited opportunities to impress in the fast bowling department and partner with Bumrah.
Who is the death over hitter?
Finishers auditioning for the above role must be able to score 180 or more in 17 to 20 overs. For that role, at least in the T20 format, no one can surpass Rinku Singh.
The left-handed batsman has scored 356 runs in 11 T20I innings at a tremendous strike rate of 176.23. There is no reason to keep him out of the team.
It may still be difficult to include Rinku in the playing eleven as players like Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey and Ravindra Jadeja are other contenders for the limited finisher slot.
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