T20 World Cup 2024

Rahul Dravid makes strong case for Rishabh Pant’s T20 World Cup inclusion

The Indian team management and selectors have a crucial decision to make soon with regard to the makeup of India’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA. Without any further T20Is before the World Cup, the squad selection will be based on current form, past performance in mega events, strategic fit within the team composition and performances in the cash-rich IPL which will be held just prior to the World Cup.

The recently concluded T20I series against Afghanistan served as a crucial pre-World Cup tune-up for India, and it provided some much-needed clarity on a key question: the role of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Prior to the series, whispers of doubt surrounded their place in the squad, with calls for younger players growing louder. However, both veterans silenced their critics with impressive performances, effectively staking their claim for World Cup spots.

Sharma, after struggling in the first two games, roared back with a magnificent century in the final game, showcasing his trademark explosiveness. Kohli, returning to the T20I stage after a lengthy absence, displayed a newfound aggression, indicating his hunger for success on the global stage remains undiminished. In addition, Sharma’s captaincy was also superb and it has put him in prime position to lead the team in June.

“All of them are in the mix”

However, there is one more spot for which there is a lot of competition. The coveted slot of wicketkeeper-batter remains fiercely contested. Ishan Kishan‘s recent heroics against Australia were impressive, yet Jitesh Sharma stole the show with his stellar performance against Afghanistan. Sanju Samson, too, got a taste of the action in the series finale, adding further fuel to the selection fire.

On his part, Rahul Dravid has clarified that the management and selectors will make a late decision with regard to the position. He said that all three players are in the fray for selection and went to the extent of saying that even KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant, who is currently recuperating from a car accident, are in the reckoning.

“We’ve got quite a few keeping options. We saw a couple of guys in this series, whether it is Sanju, or Jitesh. You speak about Rahul, there is Ishan, Rishabh, all of them are in the mix. We just have to see how things pan out in the course of next few months and then we can take a call what’s the best way to go,” he said.