No Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant Returns; India's Probable Squad For 2024 T20 World Cup
Multiple reports suggest Kohli won't play T20 World Cup 2024 (X.com)
A few significant developments since the start of Tuesday (March 12) have raised many eyebrows among those who follow Indian cricket.
The BCCI has confirmed Rishabh Pant is fully fit and will captain the Delhi Capitals in the upcoming IPL 2024, and he is also eligible to keep wickets. Of course, it brought a big smile to many, as the swashbuckling wicket-keeper, fondly called Spidey, will make his much-anticipated return at his full flow.
However, at the same time, there have been several reports suggesting that Virat Kohli is no longer among the mix of things to play for India in the T20 World Cup 2024, slated to take place in the West Indies and the USA. The BCCI, as reported, is going to take the bold decision, keeping the slow and dry conditions in the Caribbean in mind.
In light of Kohli's absence, the question of the hour at hand is how the Men in Blue will assemble the troops under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy. Let’s have a quick look at it.
Let’s put the obvious ones first. Given that they have all made extraordinary contributions to the T20 setup over the last few years, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Rinku Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kuldeep Yadav, and Ravi Bishnoi are all undroppable if fully fit.
Alongside Rohit, they occupy nine places among the available 15-member squad. Now to fill the other six, Shivam Dube, who played significantly well in Hardik’s absence, and Jitesh Sharma, the primary wicket-keeping option in India’s T20 setup lately, will book their places. Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj will make a potent trio with Bumrah at the helm, allowing only one spot to fill.
Now, with BCCI secretary Jay Shah’s recent remarks, we can assume that if Rishabh puts on a handy contribution in the upcoming IPL edition, he could be the X-factor in the squad. Not to forget what he brings to the table, and Pant’s presence, who knows, may take India to elusive ICC glory.
India's Probable Squad For 2024 T20 World Cup
Rohit Sharma (C), Hardik Pandya (VC), Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant (WK), Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh