Picking T20 World Cup 2024 squad: Questions galore for India despite IPL performances

THE deadline for announcing the squads for the T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the United States of America is just two days away and the Indian cricket board is still in the middle of deliberations to pick the names. Top brains of those responsible for choosing and naming the squad have been conducting talks for some days now and the final squad is expected to be revealed on Monday (29).

With the Indian Premier League (IPL) currently underway, many would feel that players who are in form in the T20 tournament -- either with the bat or bowl or glovework -- would be natural choices to fill the ranks in the World Cup squad.

But the scenario is far from being that simple.

If one report by ESPNcricinfo is to be believed, the Indian selectors are unlikely to pick players who are not proven on the international stage even if they are having rich exploits in the IPL. Fast bowler Mayank Yadav is one bowler who kept people excited but his injury and absence from the ground after three matches certainly dashes hopes of the 21-year-old making a wild-card entry into the squad.

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One name, however, which the IPL might have helped in clearing is Rishabh Pant. The hard-hitting wicket-keeper-batter had been out of cricket for more than a year since he got injured in a horrific car crash in December 2022. But he has made an impressive return to the game this IPL with his decent show with the bat.

Sanju Samson, who has led Rajasthan Royals successfully in this IPL so far, could be picked as India's first-choice keeper for the World Cup. His reputation as a player of spin would also be helpful in an otherwise heavy order of pace-friendly batters.

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The top order is more or less decided with captain Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav, who also made a comeback into the game in this IPL. KL Rahul could be another addition to the batters' crowd at the top.

One of the interesting names will be Hardik Pandya. The Baroda all-rounder had to leave the 50-over World in the middle owing to an ankle injury and has had a less than impressive IPL so far as the captain of Mumbai Indians. The ace all-rounder is under a lot of pressure, since he is also being challenged by his home crowd as the new captain in place of Rohit Sharma and his captaincy has often come under the scanner amid Mumbai's ordinary show this season. But Pandya's fitness might still be a question since he has been bowling less in the IPL and his pace has also gone down.

While Pandya may still have another month to get things in order given the selectors pick him in the squad and deny a chance to the likes of Shivam Dube but could it be another risk for India, as it was in the World Cup at home last year when Mohammed Shami's earth-shattering former more than made up for his absence.

If India, on the other hand, pick both Dube and Rinku Singh, another hard-hitting batter down the order who also bowls off-break, the 2007 champions will have to sacrifice either a back-up wicket-keeper or a back-up bowling resource. The lack of a batter-who-can-bowl among India's top order batters, unlike the Sachin Tendulkars, Sourav Gangulys and Virender Sehwags in the past, still remains a headache and reduces the flexibility in the side.

The 'Impact Player' rule used in the IPL could add to the selectors' woes since it has given the teams a chance to split their batters and bowlers, reducing opportunities for genuine allrounders, something that even Rohit Sharma has expressed concern about. This has indeed left the selectors at a disadvantage since they have no way to weigh the all-rounders capacity for the World Cup.

Among the spinners, the evergreen Ravindra Jadeja might pip Axar Patel as the spinner-all-rounder in the playing XI. Patel could still make it as the back-up spinner, which will leave Kuldeep Yadav as the only wrist spinner. Not much luck for Yuzvendra Chahal, who became the first Indian bowler to take 200 wickets in the IPL this season?

Among the fast bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah remains the only certain name. There is no Shami this time around because of an injury. Mohammed Siraj, the third seamer who did well in the 2023 World Cup, has not bowled well enough for Bengaluru. That leaves Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan as the other reputed names. Mohsin Khan and Harshit Rana could be the two other names to weigh but are they fit enough to last the entire World Cup?

India have not won the T20 World Cup since clinching the inaugural trophy in 2007. The last time they won an International Cricket Council crown was in 2013.