India T20 World Cup squad Live Updates: Sanju Samson vs KL Rahul takes centrestage; selectors to reveal likely 15 today

Alright! One more question around Virat Kohli’s T20 World Cup fate but a pretty legit one though. Coming from none other than Matthew Hayden. Should the BCCI selection committee stick with Kohli and his experience, and let go off the youth? Is Kohli as effective against spinners as he used to be? Or is he that valuable experience wise that on West Indies and USA pitches, India can’t do without him? Oh, and remember, that a few months ago, when Kohli and Rohit Sharma along with a few more seniors took rest right after the World Cup, a young Indian squad brimming with confidence under Suryakumar Yadav beat Australia 4-1 at home. All that and more from Matthew Hayden.

Sanju Samson has a humongous fan base in India, and it’s this very noise of the public that has kept Samson going through all these years. Samson is one of the very few top quality players to have never been picked in India’s World Cup squad be it any – T20Is or ODIs. And this is as best a chance as he can get. However, there are contrary reports around his T20 WC fate. Some are keeping him as a back-up keeper to Rishabh Pant, while others are preferring KL Rahul ahead of him. And then there’s one that reckons Samson could pip Pant to be India’s first-choice keeper. Which section of the news do you belong to? Tell us. Should Sanju Samson or should he not be part of India’s T20 World Cup squad.

PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT OF THE DAY: The BCCI selection meet is underway in Mumbai. According to a report from RevSportz, chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar and the rest of the panel have assembled in Mumbai and the discussions are underway. Irrespective of whether the official announcement is made today, the list of 15 players who will travel to the West Indies and USA to play the T20 World Cup will be finalised shortly. Stay tuned.

Contrary to the general opinion on the wicketkeeping debate, former India cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu has picked Sanju Samson as his first-choice keeper for the World Cup, followed by Pant, who he feels is still a bit inconsistent with his show. He said on Star Sports: “No. 1 is Sanju Samson, on form. This is a different Samson. If India finds themselves in situations where they need a spare opener or No. 4 batter or at No. 6, they you have KL Rahul, who is also in form. But I will still prefer Samson, followed by Rishabh Pant. He is coming out of an injury. Now, do you consider him as a white-ball specialist? His form is a bit patchy and scratchy, but he has survived the test so far. My preferences are these three,”

According to a report in the Indian Express, with the selectors looking for specialist options for the No. 5, 6 and 7 role, Rahul, who has opened for LSG in IPL 2024 so far, is out of reckoning for a spot in the World Cup squad. Sanju Samson’s selection is also on thin ice as the Rajasthan Royals captain batted at No. 3 in the tournament, implying that the likes of Jitesh and Jurel are back in contention.

Sanju Samson: 385 runs in 9 matches at 161.08 SR with four fifties

KL Rahul: 363 runs in 8 matches at 143.47 SR with three fifties

Ishan Kishan: 212 runs in 9 matches at 165.62 SR with one fifty

Dinesh Karthik: 172 runs in 6 matches at 209.75 SR with two fifties

Jitesh Sharma: 128 runs in 9 matches at 125.49 SR

With Pant back to his dominating best following a stellar run so far in IPL 2024, where he scored 398 runs in 11 matches, the most by any keeping options in contention for the World Cup spot, Pant has emerged as a surety. His run tally is laced with three fifties, the best of which was against Gujarat Titans when he clobbered an unbeaten 83 in match-winning cause.

The RCB star had revealed that this would be his final IPL season before retiring. Karthik has been in breathtaking form this season where he has registered a strike rate of 190.7 from just five innings. His blistering form has sparked a debate on a potential return to the Indian team for the T20 World Cup. Earlier in the season, India captain Rohit Sharma teased him over World Cup selection before the veteran batter went on record to say that he is officially in the race for the spot. On the back of similar form in 2022, Karthik had forced his way into the T20 World Cup squad out of nowhere. But it is unlikely to happen this year with selectors eager to debate on younger options.

When IPL 2024 kicked off last month, six players were part of the race to grab he two possible spots in the Indian World Cup squad – Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, Jitesh Sharma. The latter was however the frontrunner for one of the spots after he was featured in most of the T20I matches India played after the ODI World Cup in November.

The selection meeting with BCCI secretary Jay Shah on Tuesday will have two major talking points – the second wicketkeeper’s spot and all-rounder Hardik Pandya’s place in the side, amid concerns over his bowling. 

According to a report, BCCI’s selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar is set to meet board secretary Jay Shah in Ahmedabad today to finalise the 15-member squad for the ICC T20 World Cup. The BCCI secretary is the convenor of the senior selection committee (men) and with Shah busy with his political commitments, it is understood that the meeting will be held in Ahmedabad.

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of the announcement of India’s 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup. Stay tuned for more updates!