The decision for the big boys to spin their own T20 template and trust Indian cricket was taken with the recall of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in January. After that roll of the dice, it was inevitable that only 15 men would be injured from the World Cup squad. One of India’s brightest T20 batting innovations and ace finisher, 26-year-old Rinku Singh lost that unfortunate name when the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel finalized India’s squad for the June tournament in West Indies and USA in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
Apart from this, Rajasthan Royals’ Sanju Samson and Yuzvendra Chahal’s long wait for a World Cup appearance ended as they were given their first chance in India’s provisional squad.
Apparently, Rinku’s spot has gone to Axar Patel – one of the four spinners selected by India. Shivam Dubey’s solid IPL knocks also seem to have ousted Rinku. But it was India’s uniform top order – a ban in the last two World Cups – that forced the selectors’ hand. No one can turn their hand from skipper Rohit, successful Jaiswal, Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav. As such, it was decided to accommodate an additional all-rounder by chance.
Rinku was a regular in the bilateral matches played before the IPL and scored runs at a strike rate of 215 in the death overs. Carrying a final-overs finisher became a luxury where he could prove ineffective in a set-up with limited all-round resources. For the same reason, Dinesh Karthik’s death-overs completed innings in IPL 2024 (SR 224) were not counted.
“Rinku’s IPL form definitely has nothing to do with it,” said a source close to the selection committee. “When you sit down to score 15, you need more bowling options. Couldn’t pick up another player with a single skill at a lower rank.
That extra all-rounder is Axar Patel. Likes Ravindra Jadeja, but can act as cover and can be used as a floater with the bat for certain matches. There is some concern about Hardik Pandya’s form, where the secondary skills of Dubey and Axar act as cover. However, by naming the Mumbai Indians captain as the vice-captain, the selectors have more faith in the all-rounder.
Sources confirm that Rishabh Pant’s beloved comeback story can only get better with the left-handed batting dynamo being selected as the ‘first-choice wicketkeeper’. Pant’s T20I numbers, if not the most exciting (987 runs, SR 126.37) and Samson (374, 133.09) with his superior spin-hitting prowess, are competent, if openers.
Just three pacers
Pace-bowling stocks pick only three pacers and none in the IPL could push Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh to the spot. Avesh Khan and left-armer Khalil Ahmed have been named as traveling reserves. Siraj was trusted for his dual ability with the new ball and at the death and Jasprit Bumrah was selected for his experience as a back-up when Mohammed Shami was injured. Left-arm seamer T Natarajan was not selected following an earlier injury.
A change of heart on Chahal
Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal was a surprise choice as pre-meeting discussions suggested he would go for Ravi Bishnoi’s fast leg breaks and googlies. Chahal is the IPL’s all-time highest wicket-taker – he is also India’s top T20I wicket-taker with 96 scalps – and has also staked his claim for the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cups. But he was considered ‘too slow’.
There appears to be a change of heart in the prospect of pitches in the Caribbean for the Super 8 stage. The Indian think tank expects the pitches to take a turn, or at least keep the slower bowlers in the game. In such conditions, Chahal’s bowling style and ability to fly the ball will help reap the rewards. “All matches played by India are day games. Since dew is not a factor, spinners will play a role,” said a BCCI source.
Despite the catch, Chahal, Jadeja and Akshar all converted the ball to left-handers, leaving only Kuldeep Yadav to challenge the left-hander’s outside edge.
Which is India’s preferred top order – Rohit-Kohli-Suryakumar or Rohit-Jaiswal-Kohli is left to management. If Kohli opens the batting, both Hardik and Dubey will get a chance to play in the playing eleven. But it makes the top-order right-arm heavy and denies Jaiswal, an out-and-out powerplay dasher that the format demands (SR 161), a chance to make a difference.
The selectors have three more weeks to make any changes to the squad for the World Cup starting June 2. With the first batch of Indian players – from teams that did not make the IPL playoffs – leaving for the USA on May 21, there are unlikely to be any changes barring injuries. India begin their league stage campaign on June 5 in New York against Ireland, followed by a mega clash against Pakistan and a match against Canada.