Rishabh Pant’s recall would be the only surprise on the Indian team for the T20 World Cup. Otherwise, it’s hard to call the choice of a proven match-winner who has played 33 Tests, 30 ODIs, and 66 T20Is surprising. That being said, the wicketkeeper batsman, who was sidelined in Indian cricket for over 16 months after a horrific accident, is expected to be called up again.
The Indian team and the think-tank are thought to be confident that he is ready for international play based on his recent exploits in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), which seem to have given him a clear advantage over his rivals for the post. If his results are not appallingly low, he might be traveling to the United States and the West Indies.
Pant, who underwent knee surgery, has demonstrated that he is prepared to bat and hold. Michael Clarke has praised him and expressed his desire to see Pant return in Indian colors. Yes, it’s fantastic for Indian cricket, but Rishabh Pant benefits too. I consider it an incredible accomplishment that he was able to return to that caliber of play after putting in so much work in his rehabilitation. The former captain of Australia said to Star Sports, “He deserves a lot of credit for his hard work and it’s great to see him on the field, captaining and playing well, batting and keeping.”
He continued by saying: “He’s a wonderful player and everybody is happy that he’s back on the field and we want to see him play for Delhi, but we also want to see him come back and play for India as soon as possible.”
Former India captain and president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Sourav Ganguly, has stated that Pant has fully recovered from his injury and that he will wait to comment on his international selection until after a few more IPL matches. Ganguly has attended numerous selection committee meetings. Pant has scored 18, 28, 51, 55, and 1 in the IPL thus far.
“Let’s play a couple more games. As you can all see by his continued batting, he is progressing rather nicely. He has thus far held up well and been in excellent form, particularly when it comes to his batting in the last two games. If the selectors decide to choose him, give me another week and I’ll be in a position to respond to that query. That makes it the most crucial. Yep, he’s perfectly fit, Ganguly declared the other day.
Pant, 26, has only failed once in five games, against the Mumbai Indians, while amassing 153 runs. Sanju Samson, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, and Jitesh Sharma are among the players who could challenge Pant for the second keeper spot in the Indian squad.
Virat Kohli is certain
Virat Kohli will most likely be included in the team in the interim. Despite some discussion to the contrary regarding his strike rate, he is the league’s top scorer with almost 300 runs (316) in five games, including a century. He will undoubtedly be included.
The selectors’ conundrum is figuring out how to make room for Shubman Gill. There are unofficial discussions about whether Kohli may be selected at number three, with Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal slated for the opening positions. The same holds true for Yuzvendra Chahal. In terms of wickets taken, the leg-spinner for the Rajasthan Royals leads all Indian bowlers, although he is up against batting talents such as Axar Patel and the injured Kuldeep Yadav. The pacers Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah will be present, along with Suryakumar Yadav and Rinku Singh. Moreover, Arshdeep Singh is involved.
The other conundrum facing the selectors is Mayank Yadav, who frequently bursts onto the scene with more than 150 thunderbolts. Due to a side strain, he is currently lying low, but the think-tank is undoubtedly keeping an eye on him.
With his pace, Mayank (21) has captivated the nation’s cricket community’s collective imagination. With a bowling average of 156.7 kmph, he has raised expectations that he might be the nation’s next big pace bowler. It is still unclear if the pacer will be selected for the World Cup.
It is thought that the decision-makers are proceeding cautiously. Before deciding on him, the brain trust of the Indian squad, which includes the selectors and team management, wants to assess his game sense, consistency, fitness, and, of course, accuracy. They are unsure if he is yet ready for international cricket, but there is undoubtedly an incentive to choose him. Should there have been a brief bilateral series prior to the World Cup, Mayank Yadav would have been selected without a doubt.
It is anticipated that the team will be chosen during the first week of May.
