India’s T20 World Cup squad: Surprise choice in Harsha Bhogle’s team

Bhogle believes there are only about 6 players who pick themselves: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja.

Bhogle picks Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as his openers, with Yashasvi Jaiswal as a back-up opener in case Kohli comes at number 3. He, however, picks Sanju Samson, “the best Indian number 3 batter in T20 cricket”, for that position.

Suryakumar Yadav is the “life of this side”, according to Bhogle, who picks him for number 4. Bhogle picks Shivam Dube next. Dube, according to the cricket expert, has done well for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Rishabh Pant has “done enough” to be picked, says Bhogle.

Next, Bhogle picks Hardik Pandya as he “still cannot be replaced in India”.

“I’m a little worried about his batting form. I think, as he bowls more and more, Hardik the bowler – I have little doubt – will be ready for the T20 World Cup. Because he’s batting at 6, he’s got to go out and finish games, I’m not sure he’s batting as well,” Bhogle says.

Harsha also plays with the thought of having Surya at 3, Hardik at 4, Pant at 5 and Dube at 6. At the same time, he mentions that his “dear friend” Dinesh Karthik is not among his choices because he has chosen a wicket-keeper on top of the order. Rinku Singh is a “casualty of the Impact Sub” rule. KKR are playing him so low in the batting that nobody knows much about his batting form, Bhogle says.

Then, he picks Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel as Jaddu’s replacements since both can bat. Kuldeep Yadav is picked as a “genuine wicket-taker”. 

Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj are his choices as pacers. Then comes his surprise choice, Sandeep Sharma, who can “swing the ball upfront and bowl at the tail-end”. This choice may surprise many as hardly any other cricket expert has selected Sharma among their probables.

Harsha Bhogle’s T20 World Cup squad

Here’s the squad Bhogle picked:

Batsman: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube

Wicket-keeper: Rishabh Pant

All-rounder: Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel

Spinner, Kuldeep Yadav

Pacers: Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Sandeep Sharma

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Published: 28 Apr 2024, 12:34 PM IST