The national selection committee is unlikely to field an aspiring IPL performer at the upcoming T20 World Cup in America, but a few tried and tested faces may have to brace themselves for disappointment when the squad is finalized at the end of this month. With the ICC making it mandatory to announce the preliminary 15-member squad before the cut-off date of May 1, Ajit Agarkar and his colleagues have some clear choices to make if every member of the team is fit.
“There would be no experimentation or selections in left field. Anyone who has played for India and performed consistently well in the T20 Internationals and the IPL will be rewarded,” a BCCI source told PTI on condition of anonymity.
Obviously, one of Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal might miss out, but if both proven performers are selected in the last 15, then there will be only one of the two finishers – Rinku Singh of Kolkata Knight Riders and Shivam Dube of Chennai Super Kings – will get the nod.
The other close call could be for the second wicketkeeper's slot, where Sanju Samson has competition from Jitesh Sharma, KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan.
Rahul and Kishan are at the top of the order, and so far in this IPL, they have not attempted to bat in the middle order, making it difficult for the selectors to analyze their impact further down the order.
While Hardik Pandya's bowling fitness remains a concern, there is no immediate doubt about his selection. Like him, Virat Kohli's inclusion is also a formality.
The other automatic selections are skipper Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav. These ten names, if suitable, will certainly be part of the flight across the Atlantic.
Obviously, Siraj will be rested by RCB as he has been playing consistently and needed workload management.
In the choice between Gill and Jaiswal, the former has scored more runs, but in the case of Jaiswal, who has been a great find for Indian cricket, the selection committee may not just give up on him because of a few low IPL scores.
Plus, being the only left-hander in the top four in a largely one-dimensional top order is a novelty.
However, if Gill accumulates enough runs, it will be a tough call unless the selectors accommodate both and drop one among Shivam and Rinku from the 15.
The reserve spinner's spot could also be a three-way battle between Axar Patel, a handy batsman apart from the fact that he is an accurate left-arm spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal, who is yet to play a single T20 World Cup match in his nine-year international career. , and Ravi Bishnoi, who plays for Lucknow Super Giants.
While Chahal is head and shoulders above the other two in terms of bowling skills, his repeated omissions from key squads leave a big question mark over his June showpiece.
The Impact Player rule hurts team selection
A former international player, who is also a broadcaster, provided an interesting insight. “The 'Impact Player' rule, which is basically a glorified '12-a-side' cricket match, has been good for the IPL viewers but detrimental to Indian cricket. It has taken the concept of an all-rounder and thus A half-fit Hardik killed also has a higher value because he can bowl,” he stated.
“Think about it, if there was no Impact Player rule, could MS Dhoni (not Ruturaj Gaikwad) as CSK skipper afford not to bowl Dube? Selectors know nothing about Dube's bowling form.
“Similarly, a guy like Rahul Tewatia is no longer in contention despite being a good finisher, who was also a handy leg-break bowler. He no longer bowls now because he is an 'Impact Player'. Who does it hurt ? The national team,” he noted.
New crop of T20 players
The likes of Riyan Parag, Mayank Yadav, Abhishek Sharma and Harshit Rana have all performed well but it is clear that the selection committee would like to monitor the process of easing them through bilateral cricket rather than testing them in a high -end cricket team. bet World T20 game.
There are two white-ball series against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka and these young men would be lining up for their India debut at that time. Nitish Reddy, a bowling all-rounder who was part of the India Emerging squad that toured Sri Lanka last year, could follow the same path.
It will be interesting to see if BCCI makes arrangements to consider the likes of Mayank Yadav, Harshit Rana or Akash Madhwal as net bowlers, which will also give them good exposure.
The likely 20 (15+5 standbys) in the battle:
Specialist Batsmen (6): Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh Allrounders
(4): Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel.
Specialist spinners (3): Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi.
Wicketkeeper-batsman (3): Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Sanju Samson.
Pacers (4): Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan.
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