BCCI selectors play safe in naming India’s T20 World Cup squad

India’s T20 World Cup squad has been named on expected lines, with nine members from the previous edition in 2022 finding favour from the BCCI selectors. The 15-man squad – as well as four reserve players – was named on April 30, a day before the deadline to submit squads, and the selectors have leaned towards past performances and reputation as against current IPL form, where most selections are concerned. 

With the BCCI secretary Jay Shah saying before the IPL started that Rohit Sharma will lead the team, the former Mumbai Indians’ skipper’s current batting performances had become immaterial, which put focus on who will partner Rohit. The options now are Virat Kohli, who has the Orange Cap for scoring 500 runs at an average of 71 and a strike-rate of 147 this season, and who after his fifth score of 50 or more last week dismissively brushed aside talk from those who have problems with his strike-rate, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who shrugged off a lean run of form with a match-winning hundred for Rajasthan Royals.

If Kohli bats at his customary one-down spot, then the top ranked T20I batsman Suryakumar Yadav will slot in at No 4. The middle-order wicketkeeper options are Delhi Capitals’ skipper Rishabh Pant, who with 398 runs at an average of 44 and a strike-rate of 158, in addition to 14 dismissals, makes him the IPL’s most successful wicketkeeper-batter, followed by RR captain Sanju Samson who has scored 385 runs at a terrific average of 77 and a strike-rate of 161, and who has nine dismissals. 

The form of MI skipper Hardik Pandya is a hot topic these days, as is the irresistible batting form of Chennai Super Kings’ Shivam Dube, and both allrounders have been picked for the T20 World Cup. Pandya is averaging almost 57 with the ball at an economy rate of 11.94, and with the bat he is yet to get a single fifty all season. Dube, due to the Impact Player rule, does not bowl for CSK but his 350 runs at an average of 58 and strike-rate of 172 make him a very solid middle order option for the World Cup.  

Neither allrounder is a finisher, which brings to light the glaring absence of Rinku Singh – despite being one of the four reserves- who in his brief India T20I career has a batting average of 89 and a strike-rate touching 177. It looks as if not getting enough batting time for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2024 has impacted Rinku’s chances, but many will feel he’s a casualty of the tournament’s Impact Player rule. 

Despite Pandya – as team vice-captain- and Dube both getting picked, the BCCI selectors have included Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel as allrounders. Jadeja is nowhere near top form as an allrounder, batting at a strike-rate of 131 after six innings and averaging almost 47 per each of his five wickets from nine matches. For Delhi Capitals, Axar has a strike-rate of 124 but his nine wickets have come at an economy rate of 7.24, and so the tussle will be a close one for the World Cup 11. 

Kuldeep Yadav remains India’s No 1 spinner, and the selectors have opted for a second wrist spinner in Yuzvendra Chahal who has 13 wickets at an economy of nine per over this IPL. 

Regarding the one area where change was needed, the selectors have made no changes. Barring the exceptional Jasprit Bumrah, the regular pacers India have used aren’t in top from. Mohammed Siraj has just six wickets from nine matches for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, going at nine per 9.50 per over and conceding over 53 runs per wicket. Arshdeep Singh has 12 wickets at 25 each, his no-ball problems persist and he is not nailing yorkers the way he used to. But both have been picked, with the selectors ignoring the bowling form of T Natarajan, who has so far claimed 13 wickets at 19 each for Sunrisers Hyderabad to be statistically the most successful Indian left-arm pacer of this IPL, ans Sandeep Sharma who has been impressive for RR in the back end of innings and has an economy rate of 7.13. 

Along with Rinku, the reserve players are Shubman Gill, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan. 

India play their first World Cup game against Ireland on 5 in New York.