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IPL imprint missing in World T20 India squad
In a format that has evolved so rapidly in recent times, India will now have to hope that the their older stars are ready to approach the tournament with the unrestrained abandon it requires
Every time India’s national selectors sit to pick the squad for an ICC T20 World Cup, fans hope they will channel the spirit of 2007— when a young team led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni led the country to its only world title in the shortest format at the inaugural edition.
Few Indian teams since then have managed to replicate their verve, and that, in essence, will be the challenge for the squad being led to the 2024 edition by Rohit Sharma. Many of the old, experienced pros are back in the mix as the selectors chose to ignore the Indian Premier League (IPL) and stuck to “tried and tested” players. In other words, they went with a formula that hasn’t paid dividends in 17 years.
In a format that has evolved so rapidly in recent times, India will now have to hope that the their older stars are ready to approach the tournament with the unrestrained abandon it requires. The squad, on the whole, has hardly any surprises once you accept you’re in more-of-the-same territory. So, as expected, Rohit Sharma will lead the side and out-of-form Hardik Pandya will be vice-captain — both appointments were announced by BCCI secretary Jay Shah as early as February.
The return of Rishabh Pant, 16 months after a horrific car crash, does give the line-up a heartwarming feel though. It will be his first taste of international cricket since the accident. The 26-year-old, who hasn’t put a foot wrong for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024, impressing with the bat (398 runs from 11 games) and proving his fitness behind the stumps, will be the first-choice wicketkeeper. Pant’s big-match temperament could be an asset in this tournament, like in any other.
Virat Kohli, who has topped the run-scoring charts in the current IPL season as an opener for RCB, gets a place in the squad as well. But will he get his preferred batting position in the Indian team as well or will Yashasvi Jaiswal open the innings with Sharma? That is a decision the selectors have, for now, left to Sharma and the team management. To put things in perspective, Kohli has batted at a strike-rate of 147.49 in this IPL, as compared to 154.65 by Jaiswal. In T20, needless to say, this is a stat that matters.
Next in the line-up is Suryakumar Yadav, who, after returning from an injury layoff, has only played six matches for Mumbai Indians this season. With a strike-rate of 171.55 in T20Is, he remains the game-changer for India in a line-up that still seems to lack the power-hitting capability of some of the other top T20 World Cup contenders.
Sanju Samson, in the squad as a keeper-batter, could add to the big-hitting chops, but playing him will require Sharma and the team management to take a leap of faith. With Pant slotted into the playing 11, the Rajasthan Royals skipper will only play if one of the seniors is benched.
It is in this scenario that India could have found a place for Rinku Singh. The left-hander hasn’t got a proper go at Kolkata Knight Riders this season but he has performed the finisher’s role exceptionally in India colours, and hence be disappointed to miss out. He has been named in the reserves.
India’s selectors opted for Shivam Dube instead. The big-hitting left-hander has made a huge impact with Chennai Super Kings, especially in the middle overs against spin. He can bowl, too, but CSK have opted to focus on his batting alone. Whether India can find a place for him in the 11 remains to be seen, but on current form Dube should be accommodated. His biggest competition will be vice-captain Pandya.
Pandya, the all-rounder, is coming back into the T20 team after an ankle injury sustained during last year’s ODI World Cup at home. That forced him to sit out the Afghanistan series in January. He hasn’t looked anywhere close to his best in IPL but is seen as probably India’s only tested medium-pace all-round option.
On the spin all-rounders’ front, it would’ve been hard to look beyond Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. If anything, Axar has been more impressive with bat and ball. But Jadeja’s fielding always adds to his overall package.
Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have a chance of reviving the #KulCha chants, but it is unlikely that India will play them both in the same match.
Jasprit Bumrah leads the pace attack but the opposition will surely look to target the second pacer in the line-up. Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh tend to go for runs, and that is another weakness in the squad.
The tracks in the West Indies, where the second half of the World Cup will be played, are said to be on the slower side and that should see spinners have a say. But given the way the T20 game has been evolving in the last few years, if it comes down to a pure power-hitting contest, India might find themselves wishing they had been a bit more adventurous with their picks.
The selectors have gone with the big names but as the last few ICC tournaments have shown, it takes more than that to win a World Cup. Just ask Dhoni and his young band from 2007.
