Jay Shah of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), spoke about concerns over Hardik Pandya’s selection in India’s T20 World Cup squad. Jay Shah stated that Hardik Pandya was not picked for the team due to his form in the IPL 2024 season.
Hardik Pandya has failed to make an impact either as a player or as a leader in the T20 tournament. He scored only 200 runs in 13 matches and took 11 wickets at an economy rate of 10.59. He was named vice-captain despite his disappointing outings.
The out-of-form Hardik Pandya was chosen instead of players like Shubman Gill and Rinku Singh. Ajit Agarkar, the BCCI chief selector, mentioned in a press conference that Pandya’s selection was due to the dearth of all-round bowlers in the Indian cricket team.
Has good balance – Jay Shah
In a chat with the Times of India, Jay Shah emphasized that the IPL form alone cannot dictate the selection of players for major tournaments like the T20 World Cup. Shah stated that overseas experience is taken into account while selecting players.
“He has a good balance between form and experience. Selectors cannot choose based on IPL performance alone as overseas experience is also necessary,” Times of India quoted Shah as saying.
A report by Dainik Jagran suggested that captain Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar were not in favor of Hardik Pandya’s selection for the World Cup. The report mentions that Hardik was included in the team under external pressure.
The report added that Agarkar and some selectors opposed Pandya’s inclusion in the T20 World Cup squad during the selection meeting. India lacks a pace all-rounder and Shivam Dube is the only alternative, but his bowling skills are not up to par.
India Team for World Cup: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj , Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh
Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan
We will take home the T20 World Cup trophy – Jay Shah
Jay Shah expressed optimism about India’s prospects in the T20 World Cup. Shah acknowledged that India fell short in the final of the ODI World Cup 2023. He claimed that they can secure victory in the T20 World Cup this year.
“We did well in the last ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 but the final victory eluded us. I am optimistic that this year we will bring home the T20 World Cup trophy,” Shah added.
The 35-year-old revealed his and Roger Binny’s responsibilities. Shah highlighted Binny’s role as a cricket strategist and his own approach to management and finance.
“Roger Binny is the brains of cricket. He is involved in all decisions related to cricket, while I look after the administrative and financial part. But ultimately, we do everything together. We have a very transparent and consultative process,” he added Shah.
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