The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) finally announced the squad for the ICC T20 World Cup starting in June. Rohit Sharma will be leading the squad of 15 with the inclusion of Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson among others. (More Cricket News)
Hardik will be deputising the side that also includes CSK middle-order batter Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal.
The pace attack will be led by Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah. BCCI have kept the likes of Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan in the Reserves.
India will begin their World Cup campaign against Ireland on June 05, 2024 at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York, followed by the marquee clash against Pakistan on June 09, 2024 at the same venue. India will then play USA and Canada on June 12 and 15 respectively.
India T20 World Cup 2024 Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya (VC), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan.
Gill, Rinku, Khaleel and Avesh have been added as reserves for the WC squad by the Selection Committee.
Here are the five 'unlucky' names that have missed the ticket to the West Indies and USA -
1) Ruturaj Gaikwad:
The newly appointed Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad is currently on a phenomenal IPL 2024 with the bat. The opening batter has amassed 447 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 150. His batting up the order has been tremendous for CSK and his blistering batting has taken down some of the top quality bowlers in the IPL 2024. Ruturaj's miss from the 15-man squad could be counted as 'unlucky' as the Men In Blue are blessed to have some of the top names in world cricket.
2) Harshal Patel:
Indian pacer Harshal Patel is another bowler to miss out on a ticket to the Caribbean and USA for the T20 World Cup 2024. The wily bowler has scalped 14 wickets so far in IPL 2024 and was one name that was been sounded out for the marquee event. However, the former RCB player has not made the final squad.
3) Sai Sudharsan:
Another batter who has had an impressive IPL and also on the international front, during the South African tour. Sai Sudharsan's bat has registered 418 runs in ten games but the left-hander was impressive albeit in the ODIs. Despite his decent displays, Sudharsan has not made the squad and remains to be seen how he fares in the upcoming matches for Gujarat Titans in the IPL.
4) Tilak Varma:
Another batter who has not made the T20 World Cup squad is left-hander Tilak Varma. The Mumbai Indians' middle-order batter has scored 336 runs but has already represented India in the T20Is. Tilak has scored 336 runs in 16 matches for India with a Strike Rate of 139.42. With the selectors going for Shivam Dube, Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja; Tilak is unlucky to miss out on the WC squad.
5) KL Rahul:
A veteran of 72 T20Is and 127 IPL games, KL Rahul has found himself on the sidelines of the T20 Squad with the BCCI selectors opting for a blend of 'young and experience'. Rahul, who is currently leading the Lucknow Super Giants side in IPL 2024, has scored 378 runs in 9 matches but despite the form, he won't be flying to the West Indies and USA with the team.
