Sanju Samson may have impressed the most, but it is yet to be revealed if the selectors are included, as he blasted off just 33 balls in the IPL 2024 match against Lucknow Supergiants on Saturday 71*, but it wasn’t. Among them was former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull, who overlooked his favorite Rajasthan Royals skipper for the Indian team in the T20 World Cup.
The biggest headache that Ajit Agarkar’s side is likely to face at the weekend will be the two goalkeeper positions for the World Cup. Rishabh Pant has been the first choice, especially after showing his early self in IPL 2024, amassing 371 runs in 10 games at a strike rate of 160.71. But the dilemma lies in the backup role, with Samson, KL Rahul and even Dinesh Karthik becoming options.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Durr ignored Samson and chose Pant as his first-choice goalkeeper with Rahul as backup. Interestingly, however, he named the number three for the Delhi Capitals captain and explained that it was the only way for him to include Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh in the squad.
“I went back and forth on it but I wanted Rishabh Pant to bat at No. 3 because if my wicketkeeper doesn’t bat at No. 3, I won’t be able to see the partnership from the other players. Also, I wanted a left-hander and then two right-handers. I looked at the team that night and the T20Is were not his best format, but I felt he was improving and I watched him play this game. ‘s fitness is back to where he wanted to be before this game,” he explained.
Dube picked Dube after his stunning performance with the bat for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2024, but he left out Hardik Pandya Outside the team. The Mumbai Indians skipper has had a poor season so far in IPL 2024, scoring 197 runs in 9 games and scoring just 4 off 17 of the 36 deliveries he could bowl throughout the season A wicket.
While naming the 15-member squad, the former cricketer revealed his favorite starting XI for India, with Virat Kohli at the top, Yashasvi Jaiswal Jaiswal as substitute. Ravindra Jadeja in the XI is also an all-rounder, although Dube is expected to roll his arms in a few overs. He also used Arshdeep Singh as the third seamer and Avesh Khan as the backup option.
India’s T20 World Cup squad led by Simon Doull:
indian eleven: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.
Substitute: KL Rahul, Avish Khan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Axar Patel