The deadline for submitting the provisional squad list for the upcoming Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 is just around the corner. Many former Indian cricketers have announced their squad. Former India pacer Irfan Pathan has given his verdict as well for the tournament which will kick off in June in the USA and West Indies. He opined that players' current form in the ongoing Indian Premiere League (IPL) 2024 should not be the determining factor for direct inclusion into India’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
The ongoing IPL season has witnessed the emergence of many uncapped players like Shashank Singh, Ashutosh Sharma, Abhishek Sharma, and Riyan Parag, who have impressed fans and experts alike. Drawing on India's squad selection during the 2007 edition of the tournament, Pathan explained how experience might outweigh recent form when it comes to selecting the best squad for a major tournament like the T20 World Cup.
'International cricket is a different beast altogether'
"Just because some players are performing well in the IPL, it doesn't mean they should automatically be selected. In the IPL, there are always one or two uncapped bowlers who can be easily smacked due to small grounds and flat pitches. However, international cricket is a different beast altogether. You'll have five bowlers, each with a significant number of matches under their belt before entering the World Cup, bringing in tons of experience," Irfan told Star Sports.
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‘India won that World Cup with a young team is myth’
Following the discussions of whether the youngsters should be picked for the World Cup, Irfan, who was also part of India’s T20 World Cup 2007-winning squad, said that it is a myth that MS Dhoni-led side won because it was a young team.
"Let's rewind to 2007. This is a myth that India won that World Cup with a young team. No, boss, we had experience. Harbhajan Singh had six years of experience. Virender Sehwag had six years of experience. Yuvraj Singh had five to six years of experience. I had four years of experience. Mahendra Singh Dhoni had four to five years of experience, he debuted in 2004. About 90% of the squad had proper three to six years of experience. And then we went into the World Cup, and we won the World Cup. A lot of people say otherwise, that we won the World Cup with a young team. Yes, age-wise we were young, but experienced," Irfan added.
Irfan Pathan's India squad for T20 World Cup
Rohit Sharma (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh, Rishabh Pant (WK), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Shubman Gill/Sanju Samson.
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