Rohit Sharma (L) and Virat Kohli© AFP
The senior national selectors are likely to meet in Mumbai this weekend to name the 15-member Indian squad for the ICC T20 World Cup to be played in the West Indies and the US later this year. BCCI) sources told IANS. The ICC has set a deadline of May 1 for the participating boards to announce their provisional selections for the mega sporting spectacle. The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) faces the challenge of selecting a balanced 15-man squad based on the performance of players in the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League ( IPL).
Sources told IANS: “They (selectors) will meet on April 27 or 28 to choose the squad of 15 members. It will be very difficult to name the squad as some of the young players are really impressive in the ongoing IPL.”
Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant produced a brilliant performance with the bat as Delhi Capitals defeated Gujarat Titans in a thrilling IPL 2024 match on Wednesday. The DC skipper was in good form as he hit an unbeaten 88 off just 43 deliveries with the help of 5 boundaries and 8 sixes. The blow reignited discussion about Pant's possible inclusion in the Indian squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
While the wicketkeeper-batsman is considered a top prospect, former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull believes he doesn't fit in the middle order at the moment and it would have been easier if he could have batted at number 3 after the rumored opening partnership of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
'He's getting closer. Can he hit on 3? Because I go back to the team I'm watching (for the T20 World Cup), and he doesn't fit in the middle order. If he can, he will be one step closer to the boarding pass,” Doull said on Cricbuzz.
“He's a better player than a slogger or hitter. He comes, and he works his way into his innings. That's why I say he's a great Test player. He's a fine hitter. But I don't think he's a player who comes out and starts floundering, not in modern T20 cricket. That's why his numbers aren't nearly as good as they should be. So my question is, could he bat at 3 behind the skipper and Virat (Kohli)? he added.
(With input from the agency)
Topics mentioned in this article