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Kohli-Rohit back in T20WC plans, but where is KL Rahul? Takeaways from India's T20I squad announcement for AFG series
The squad announcement leaves questions aplenty, with the Afghanistan contest being India's final assignment before the ICC T20 World Cup in June.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday ended the long wait over the question on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's T20I future as the two stalwarts were named in the 16-man squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan that begins from January 11 onwards in Mohali. With the veteran stars back in the format for the first time in 14 months, it largely assures their participation in the 2024 T20 World Cup. But the squad announcement also leaves questions aplenty, with the contest being India's final assignment before the ICC event in June.
Are Kohli and Rohit back in the T20 World Cup plans?
The two have not played any T20I match for India since the semifinal loss against England in the T20 World Cup in November 2022, as Kohli and Rohit prioritised the ODI format with the 50-over World Cup in 2023 while also participating in Test cricket as the team looks to build towards a third World Test Championship final. There was much discussion over their intention to play in the T20 World Cup, having missed the Australia series at home and the away contest in South Africa after the ODI tournament, but with their selection, which comes after chief selector Ajit Agarkar flew to Cape Town around the second Test against the Proteas, means that they are back in the scheme of things for the T20 World Cup, which will be held between June 1 and 29 in the West Indies and the USA.
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Is Shivam Dube looked at as Hardik Pandya's backup?
One of the reasons behind India losing two of their last three ICC trophies was due to a lack of balance. And if India were expected to learn from the heartbreaking defeat in the final of the ODI World Cup, the management did not act on it as they let go of the opportunity to explore a backup option for injury-prone Hardik Pandya, who will miss a third consecutive T20I series as he continues to recover from the ankle twist he incurred in October.
Shivam Dube was indeed picked in the five-match Australia series at home in November but was the only player in the squad not to bag an appearance in the contest, while captain Suryakumar Yadav was content with just five bowling options. Dube was later dropped for the tour of South Africa, where Suryakumar, who will miss the Afghanistan contests owing to an injury, once again refused to look for a sixth bowling option.
The Mumbai allrounder has been called back for the three-match series against Afghanistan. He had a fabulous IPL 2023 season for Chennai Super Kings as a middle-order batter and later produced some handy cameos in Syed Mushtaq Ali, although his bowling role has remained limited.
One last shot for Sanju Samson
Samson was not in the scheme of things for the T20 World Cup, as inferred from the squad selections made for the contest against Australia and South Africa. However, the wicketkeeper-batter has managed to force his way into World Cup plans after a brilliant century, his first in international cricket, in the ODI series against South Africa last month. Samson will, however, be competing with Jitesh Sharma, who has been in remarkable form down the order, at No. 6, for India during the Australia series.
Where are KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan?
It was only last month when Rahul expressed his desire to be an all-format middle-order wicketkeeper-batter for India. He successfully pulled it off in ODIs, and then in Tests, as seen in the recently-concluded series against South Africa, but Rahul failed to find a spot for himself in T20Is. Like Kohli and Rohit, Rahul too played his last T20I game in that semifinal loss in the 2022 World Cup, but has now missed a third consecutive series in the shortest format after the ODI World Cup in November.
As matters stand, Rahul will have to prove his strength as a destructive batter down the order with India having the likes of young Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh to control the middle-order proceedings while the selectors hope to see Hardik fit for the World Cup. The IPL 2024 season will play a key role for Rahul, who is reportedly set to bat in the middle-order for Lucknow Super Giants.
Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan, the only batter in the T20I scheme of things to bring that flexibility factor in the line-up, will miss the series. He had earlier withdrawn himself from the Test series against South Africa in a bid ti take care of his mental well-being.
Yuzvendra Chahal not part of T20 World Cup plans
Despite having dominated the shortest format, as far as IPL numbers display, Chahal hasn't had much luck in T20Is for India. He was dropped from the World Cup team in 2021, and failed to get an appearance in the 2022 edition, and as things stand, he is likely to miss the event in 2024. The leg-spinner seemed to be part of the T20 World Cup plans even in 2023, having played all five matches in the tour of West Indies, preceded by an appearance in the contest against New Zealand and Sri Lanka in January. But the selectors seem to prefer Ravi Bishnoi and improved Kuldeep Yadav as specialist options for the World Cup in June. Like Rahul, Chahal too would want to have an impactful IPL season in a bid to have an outside chance of making it through to the squad.
No T20Is for Jasprit Bumrah before World Cup
He definitely is a certainty for the T20 World Cup, but Bumrah has only played two matches in the format in the last 15 months, both in the tour of Ireland in August. He was rested after the ODI World Cup and hence missed the Australia and South Africa series and has now been excluded for the contest against Afghanistan in a bid to manage his workload ahead of the crucial five-Test series against England.
