Former Indian pacer S Sreesanth has picked India’s preliminary squad for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 which will be played in The Caribbean and the USA. Sreesanth selected 12 members who will play in the 10th edition of the T20 World Cup. Sreesanth picked the entire team that played in the World Cup 2023 final barring Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer.
Sreesanth feels that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli who haven't played a single T20I since India's T20 World Cup 2022 semifinal loss to England in Australia should be in the side as well.
Will Rohit Sharma be playing or not is a big question. He'll be captain because he has won all those IPLs. Either Rohit Sharma or Hardik Pandya will be captain depending on the situation, the surroundings," Sreesanth told Sportskeeda.
Yashasvi Jaiswal is the only edition in the top order whereas he backed an injured Rishabh Pant to regain his fitness and make a comeback. Pant has been out of the side since he suffered a horrific car accident in December 2022. After surgeries and a long rehabilitation, Pant is expected to lead Delhi Capitals (DC) in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023.
"Rishabh Pant if he's fit should be there as the third keeper because he might need some time to come back to the setup. We need a match-winner not someone who just sticks around. We need a player who is ready to play and win matches. That's as of now. He might be the second or first wicketkeeper depending on form," he said.
In addition, the Kerala pacer wants the selectors to pick a few players on the basis of their performance in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) and IPL 2024.
“In this year's IPL, I think we'll see more youngsters. It'll be a very difficult decision for them to select the T20 squad. There are such youngsters playing, you won't believe. They are so talented," the 40-year-old added.
12-member squad: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Mohammed Shami, Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj.
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