Rishabh Pant, Virat Kohli headline India’s T20 World Cup squad

Finisher Rinku Singh does not make it, included only in the reserves for the tournament to be played in the West Indies and USA

Rishabh Pant has capped an incredible return back to the national team after being named in India’s squad for the T20 World Cup in June. It will be his first taste of international cricket after a horror car crash 16 months ago.

Pant’s big match temperament could be an asset in the tournament and few will argue against him being in the team. (PTI photo)

The 26-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman 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 as well. Pant’s big match temperament could be an asset in the tournament and few will argue against him being in the team.

The squad, on the whole, has few surprises. Rohit Sharma will lead the side and out-of-form Hardik Pandya has been named vice-captain.

Virat Kohli, who has topped the run-scoring charts in the current IPL season as opener for RCB, earns 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 skipper Sharma?

Next in the line-up in Suryakumar Yadav, who has only played six matches for Mumbai Indians this season. 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 contenders.

Sanju Samson, in the squad as a keeper-batter, could add to the big-hitting chops but playing him will require Rohit and the team management to take a leap of faith.

It was in this scenario that India could have perhaps 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 very well in India colours and hence will be disappointed to miss out. He has been named in the reserves.

India’s selectors opted for Shivam Dube ahead of Rinku. The big left-hander has had 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 playing XI remains to be seen but on current form, Dube should be accommodated. His biggest competition will be vice-captain Pandya.

Pandya the allrounder is coming back into the T20 team after an ankle injury sustained during last year’s ODI World Cup at home forced him to sit out the Afghanistan series in January. He hasn’t looked anywhere close to his best in IPL but is probably India’s only medium-pace all-round option. But if he can’t produce the goods, India can fall back on Dube. That might be enough to keep Pandya on his toes.

On the spin allrounders’ 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 game.

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 a 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 in the proceedings. 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 tried and tested big names but as the last few ICC tournaments have shown, it takes more than that to win a World Cup. As of now, one can only hope they’ve got it right.

Squad: Rohit Sharma (capt), Hardik Pandya (vice-capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.

Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan