Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced India's T20 World Cup on September 4. The selection triggered a huge debate over the players who could not make it into the 15-man squad including Yuzvendra Chahal, Shreyas Iyer and others. Many former cricketers were surprised by Chahal's omission, especially after his performance in recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 on spin-friendly UAE pitches. India's Test team's vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane speaking at Aajtak's 'Salaam Cricket' conclave in Dubai, took a sly dig at the criticism of team selection saying that "those players who aren't selected in the squad are the good ones".
“Not only in our country but in the entire world those players who are not included in the team are the best ones while those who are selected are often questioned for their selection. They are questioned why this player is included and not the other one. I think whatever team you have selected you should trust and support them. If we will show love and support for the Indian team then their confidence will also increase,” Rahane said.
With the squad announcement, BCCI also announced that the T20 World Cup 2007-winning captain MS Dhoni will join the team in UAE as mentor for the tournament. Rahane feels that the legendary Indian skipper will keep things "simple" in the dressing room.
“He keeps things simple which is his strength. Every player in the dressing room respects MS Dhoni and everyone is happy for his return to the team as a mentor. If we talk about Dhoni, no one can realise how he keeps things so simple in T20 format. This is the reason why Dhoni is such a successful captain and with him being on the side of the team, India has a strong chance to win the tournament,“ the 33-year-old said.
Felt happy for Ashwin’s inclusion
Rahane was happy with the inclusion of his Delhi Capitals (DC) teammate Ravichandran Ashwin in the team after a long gap. Ashwin was rewarded for his performances in IPL and has been top-notch in the warm-up games against England and Australia.
“All the spinners are good and I won’t give any player the tag of X-factor. Varun has bowled exceptionally well this season and his form can benefit the team in the tournament. Other than him, Ashwin and Jadeja are too included in the team. If you look at Ashwin, he may not have been able to pick many wickets in the previous two seasons of the IPL but he has been economical and has been able to put pressure on the batter. People may talk about stats but for me, what matters is how a bowler can put pressure in the match. That’s the reason I am happy with the inclusion of Ashwin in the team,” the Mumbai batter said.
