The Indian cricket team’s 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup is likely to be announced in the last week of April as the ICC's cut-off date for submission of teams is May 1.
Every participating team will get a chance to change players in their initial squad till May 25.
Meanwhile, the T20 World Cup 2024 is scheduled to start on June 2 and will run till June 29 in the West Indies and the United States.
With the marquee event fast approaching, the Indian selectors will be keeping an eye on the performance as well as on the fitness of the players in Indian T20 League 2024 keeping in mind India’s squad for T20 World Cup 2024.
Based on the performances after the first two weeks of Indian T20 League 2024, we look at the probable Indian cricket team for T20 World Cup 2024.
Indian cricket team for T20 World Cup 2024
Captain: Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma will captain the Indian cricket team at the T20 World Cup 2024 as confirmed by BCCI secretary Jay Shah in February. The former Mumbai captain has scored 118 runs in four matches in the ongoing Indian T20 League at a strike rate of 171.01. Overall, the stylish right-handed batter has amassed over 11,000 T20 runs, including seven centuries and 74 fifties to his name.
Opening batters: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli
There are several contenders for the two opening slots in India’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Apart from captain Rohit Sharma, the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli are the other contenders.
While there are ongoing debates about Virat Kohli’s inclusion in the T20 World Cup 2024 squad, the former India captain has been in scintillating form in Indian T20 League 2024.
Kohli has been leading the Orange Cap list, having accumulated 316 runs in five matches at an impressive average of 105.33 including one hundred and two fifties.
New Gujarat skipper Shubman Gill has also been in good form in the ongoing T20 tournament. Opening the batting, Gill has scored 183 runs in five matches for Gujarat this season.
Yashasvi Jaiswal is the other contender for the opening slot. Being a southpaw, Jaiswal could provide a left-right opening combination. Since his T20I debut in 2023, Jaiswal has accumulated over 2,000 runs at a strike rate of 147.56.
Middle-order batters: Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya
Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya are almost certainties in India’s squad for T20 World Cup 2024.
Swashbuckling Suryakumar Yadav is the world’s top-ranked T20I batter at the moment. The 33-year-old has been a match-winner in the T20I format, having amassed 2,141 runs in just 60 matches at an average of 45.55 and a strike rate of 171.55. He is expected to bat at No.3 in the upcoming T20 tournament.
On the other hand, Hardik Pandya can contribute with both bat and ball in the shortest format. The flamboyant cricketer has scored 1,348 runs and scalped 73 wickets in 92 matches so far.
Despite not being at his best in the ongoing Indian T20 League, Pandya has slammed 108 runs and bagged one wicket.
Rinku Singh could be picked in India's 15-member squad for T20 World Cup 2024. The hard-hitting lower-order batter has showcased his incredible capabilities, playing match-winning knocks for India as well for Kolkata in the Indian T20 League. He has aggregated almost 2,500 T20 runs at a strike rate of 148.86. Rinku could be an important member of the Indian squad at the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Shivam Dube is the other hard-hitting option for the T20 World Cup. Representing Chennai, Dube has already scored 176 runs in five matches, including hitting 10 fours and 13 sixes.
Wicket-keepers: Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson
Delhi captain Rishabh Pant has made an impressive comeback in Indian T20 League 2024. Having returned to competitive cricket after his life-threatening car accident in December 2022, Pant has amassed 153 runs in five matches at a strike rate of 154.54. He could be picked as first choice wicket-keeper in India’s squad for T20 World Cup 2024.
Apart from Rishabh, Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson has looked in great touch. The 29-year-old wicketkeeper-batter has scored 178 runs in four matches at an average of 59.33. He could be picked in the 15-member squad.
The likes of KL Rahul, Dinesh Karthik, Dhruv Jurel, Jitesh Sharma and Ishan Kishan are the other contenders for the two wicket-keeper slots.
Spinners: Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal
Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja is the other certainty in India’s squad for T20 World Cup 2024. Since his T20 debut in 2007, Jadeja has bagged over 200 wickets and scored more than 3,000 runs so far. The star all-rounder brings stability to any team.
Kuldeep Yadav could be retained in India’s T20 World Cup squad based on his recent performances. The left-arm wrist-spinner has been in great form for the Men in Blue across formats. He has picked 177 T20 wickets at an average of 21.58 and an economy of 7.41.
Meanwhile, Yuzvendra Chahal has been one of the standout bowlers in Indian T20 League 2024. The star leg-spinner has scalped eight wickets in four matches at an average of 11.12 and an economy of 6.35. He could make a comeback in India’s T20 squad.
Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Ravichandran Ashwin and Washington Sundar are the other contenders.
Fast bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh
Star pacer Jasprit Bumrah will be one of the first picks in India’s 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. The right-arm pacer has claimed over 250 T20 wickets at an economy of just seven. He has been in sensational form for Mumbai in the ongoing Indian T20 League, having picked five wickets in four matches at an economy of 6.12.
Mohammed Siraj is expected to partner Bumrah for the marquee T20 World Cup. Siraj has a knack of picking crucial breakthroughs and could be play a pivotal role in the West Indies and the United States.
Arshdeep Singh could be another pick in India’s pace bowling attack. Being a left-arm pacer, Arshdeep brings variety to India’s bowling department. He has scalped over 150 T20 wickets at an average of 23.62 and an economy of 8.41.
Mayank Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel and Sandeep Sharma are the other contenders for the limited fast bowlers slots.
Indian cricket team for T20 World Cup 2024: Rohit Sharma (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh
Photo credit: Alamy
