India’s much-awaited squad for the T20 World Cup 2024 was announced on Tuesday (April 30). Rohit Sharma was named captain of the team, which saw some bold decisions for the tournament, which will be played in the US and the Caribbean in June this year.
Despite a lot of speculation about his place in the squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup, all-rounder Hardik Pandya retained his place in the team. Not only that, but he was also named the team’s vice-captain for the tournament, having served in the role at the 2023 World Cup.
Hardik Pandya is having an excellent run in the Indian Premier League. The all-rounder last played for India in the 2024 World Cup and has been out due to injury since then. He returned via IPL but it has been a forgettable outing for him so far.
Hardik Pandya has failed to deliver good results with bat and ball in IPL. Apart from this, he has also been under a lot of scanners for his poor captaincy in the league. Under his leadership, Mumbai Indians have lost 6 games and are struggling to advance in the tournament.
While Hardik Pandya was picked for the Indian team, Rinku Singh was dropped from the squad for the T20 World Cup 2024. The batsman has barely made a mistake in his international career and was expected to be in the final squad. . But it was not like that since he was named in reserves.
The team also saw Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube chosen for the team. Both batsmen have been drafted into the team based on their excellent performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. The duo has been breathing fire with the bat in the tournament and this is one of the main reasons behind their team’s success. .
With Rinku Singh’s place in the team and the selection of Hardik Pandya, the BCCI has received a lot of criticism. They lashed out at the governing body for not picking Rinku, who averages around 90 in T20Is, instead of an out-of-form all-rounder.
However, a source close to the BCCI revealed that there was a draw between Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube for the place in the team. He said that the KKR batsman was unlucky and there was also a lot of debate about Hardik’s place in the team for the T20 World Cup 2024. Speaking to PTI, he explained:
“There was a lot of debate about Hardik’s place in the team, while Samson wasn’t debated much. Rinku was just unlucky. It was a toss-up between (Dube and Rinku with Hardik also in the team).”
A BCCI source also revealed that the Impact Player rule in IPL was the reason behind Rinku Singh’s snub in the World Cup.
“Without a doubt, Rinku paid the price for the Impact Player Rule. It’s plain and simple unfortunate. “Hardik may be in poor form but he is still India’s best bowler and it would have been a risk to drop him considering he is the only one who has bowled,” a BCCI source told PTI under conditions of anonymity.
Team India squad for T20 World Cup 2024
Apart from the players mentioned above, Yuzvendra Chahal has been called up to the squad for the T20 World Cup 2024. The player is in excellent form in the Indian Premier League and is the second wicket-taker of the team. at the tournament.
The BCCI has picked only three pacers – Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. Rishabh Pant is the team’s starting goalkeeper. The batting department is bolstered by Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav.
Here is the Indian team for the T20 World Cup 2024:
Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh , Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
Bookings: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan