Team India selectors for the ICC T20WC squad have gone for a healthy mix of tried and tested on one hand and promising youngsters on the other.
The replacement of wicket-keeper-batter KL Rahul by Rishabh Pant was somehow expected despite the former's consistent performances as a batter and him being a thinking keeper so well appreciated in the ICC 2023 ODI World Cup. He was the pick in the previous two ICC T20 World Cups too.
Pant, on the other hand, has played no international cricket since December 2022 and is back from a death-defying injury and yearlong layover for recuperation. Sanju Samson foraying into the team as the second wicket-keeper and a wholesome willowman was also a refreshing choice.
Perhaps he is there as neither Pant nor Rahul could have been positioned as second wicket-keepers. Samson, despite his blistering talent, has been in and out of the Indian squad. The inclusion of Hardik Pandya as vice-captain shows how the selectors have not taken his IPL fiascos too seriously. They have laid their bet, and correctly so, on his all-round capabilities as also his proven track record of being a crisis manager in situations that the team often gets stuck in with both the bat and ball.
Pretty often, Pandya has risen to the occasion when needed most and has broken worrying partnerships. He has also swung his bat with solidity and elan at crunch hour.
The absence of Rinku Singh from the 15, is surprising considering his perennial propensity to blast opposition in most situations, especially in the shortest format of the game and in death overs. As a reserve, he will be wasted for this World Cup.
Over the years, after Arshdeep Singh burst into the scene with his breakneck speed and wicket-taking spurts, he has gone through battering and rough weather. Whether he will become the pick of the opposition batters or run in as a seasoned wicket-taker remains to be seen.
The fortune of the team going to this historical World Cup rests on swan song performers Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja. They will work well to cement the side with experience, aggression and seasoned skills.
They are the usual suspects of Team India as is new entrant Yashasvi Jaiswal who has proven his bat’s worth in all jersey colours, whether in whites or blues. As an opener alongside skipper Rohit Sharma he is one asset that rests on performance solidity.
With Virat Kohli on No 3 and Suryakumar Yadav to follow, belief in this team looks robust and bright. With middlers Samson, Shivam Dube, Pant and Jadeja in form to hide the tail of bowlers, it’s all set for the Men in Blue to be led by a captain who seeks redemption by winning this World Cup after a heartbreaking failure in the 50-over pinnacle tournament just a few months back.
Though Mohd Siraj’s speed is killing, he has been a fumbler in the outfield and his bat has never been expected to do any kind of talking.
As the pitch curator of all pitches in the US, where India plays its group stage matches, Damian Hough said the playing tracks will be hard, batting delights full of runs and entertainment, bowlers will be in the nervy zone, especially with the Indian Premier League (IPL) batters chasing down unimaginable scores like 262 just as a prelude to the World Cup.
Meaning to say thinking bowlers will be the need of the hour and not just speed will kill. That brings us to Yuzevendra Chahal as Kuldeep Yadav’s partner in arms. He is one arm that can spin downfalls when least expected and is a master plotter with the ball in his hand. With Yadav being another consistent and persistent spin wizard, India’s bowling department is a healthy mix, what with master assassin Jasprit Bumrah leading the pack.
So the 15-man squad announced on Tuesday has only two all-rounders in Pandya and Jadeja, nine batters including them, four spinners including Jadeja and three pacers.
