India’s Best Playing XI for ICC T20 World Cup 2024

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Original Content: India’s Best Playing XI for ICC T20 World Cup 2024

The Indian cricket team for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024, which will be co-hosted by USA and West Indies in June and July, has been announced.

The Chairman of the selection committee, Ajit Agarkar, met Rahul Dravid, the head coach, who finalized the squad that will tour WI and USA for the T20 World Cup.

Any team selected for the World Cup deserves an analysis which tests the depth and the quality the squad possesses.

Let us first look at the squad which is selected by the Selection Committee:

India Squad for T20 World Cup 2024

Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj

Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, and Avesh Khan

India’s T20 World Cup 2024 Squad Analysis

The first impression here is they think the pitches in the Caribbean will grip and turn, and for this, they have picked up 2 slow left-arm spinners and two wrist spinners in Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, which make up the 4 spinners, but they still don’t have an off-spinner to counter a left-hander heavy side.

Lack of Death Bowlers

The fast bowling comprises Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj. Bumrah is sui generis who, in the era of inflated run-scoring, has carved a niche for himself, but apart from him, the bowling looks a bit one-dimensional.

Siraj and Arshdeep both prefer bowling in the top and at the death, which leaves them short on a middle overs enforcer who could test the batters’ backfoot range. Team India lacks a Hit-the-Deck bowler in their squad.

Hardik Pandya in the last World Cup did that role against sides like Pakistan who lacked the class and pedigree, but against sides like England and South Africa, India’s tactics got exposed.

The Curious Case of Hardik Pandya

The squad also has three players who provide them dual skills: Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Hardik Pandya. All three of them have their own strengths and weaknesses.

Pandya has lost his skill of hitting pace, which is evident the way he bats these days, while Ravindra Jadeja is yet to crack the way of batting in T20 and Axar Patel, who is a terrible hitter of spin but is at sea against pace bowling, which is one of the basic requirements for batters who bat in the lower order.

Pandya’s bowling is getting better with time, and he has also included some skills in his already vast arsenal, which will give Rohit a chance of playing with an extra batter or a spinner considering Pandya can be the third seamer of the side.

Jadeja only becomes effective if the pitches grip and turn, Patel at this moment is a better bet than Jadeja, but then Patel’s batting goes against him.

And against lineups who are right-handed heavy, India may even go in with both Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja.

A Star-Studded Top Order

India’s batting order will again feature Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who will occupy the spot of the opener and number three, which means India will go in with Yashasvi Jaiswal as their second opener, who will complement both of them by hand and by skill set.

Shivam Dube and Suryakumar Yadav have been selected as the southpaws who will take care of the spin bowlers bowling in the middle overs, while Yadav is also capable of taking down the pace if there’s enough bounce in the track.

Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant are selected as the two wicketkeepers. Pant will bat in the middle order, who will directly compete with Shivam Dube for a spot, while Samson will have to bat lower down the order, where he will provide them range against pace.

India’s Strongest Playing XI in T20 World Cup 2024:

Rohit Sharma(C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant/Shivam Dube, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja/Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh/Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah.