3 IPL 2024 performers who may have an outside chance of featuring in India's T20 World Cup squad ft. Shivam Dube
The Indian squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup to be held in the West Indies and the USA from June 1 to June 29 is likely to be announced soon. The International Cricket Council has set May 1 as the cut-off date for teams to announce their squads for the mega event.
If we talk about the likely Men in Blue squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup, most of the players pick themselves. According to news agency PTI, apart from skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant are certainties in the batting department.
The report further added that Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya would be the confirmed all-rounders in the T20 World Cup squad, while Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav would make the cut among the frontline bowlers.
A number of Indian players have come up with impressive performances in the ongoing IPL 2024, which could give the selectors a headache when they sit down to pick the team.
On that note, we pick three performers who may have an outside chance of featuring in India's 2024 T20 World Cup squad.
#3 Dinesh Karthik
Veteran keeper-batter Dinesh Karthik was dropped from the Indian T20I squad following the team's exit from the 2022 T20 World Cup in the semifinal.
At that point, it seemed like the end of the road for the Tamil Nadu cricketer as far as international cricket was concerned. It was a fair call, as Karthik had failed to make an impact in the limited chances he got, and age wasn't on his side.
However, there's something about the T20 World Cup year that seems to bring out a different kind of beast in Karthik the batter. Even Rohit could not stop himself from sledging the veteran cricketer in a hilarious manner during an IPL 2024 match between Bengaluru and Mumbai.
He cheekily commented that Karthik had the World Cup in mind, referring to his batting exploits.
There has been some stiff resistance to calls around Karthik being a possible candidate for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Some experts and fans feel that it would be a step in the backward direction. At the same time, it will be difficult for selectors to completely ignore the keeper-batter who has a strike rate of 196.09 and an average of 62.75 in IPL 2024.
#2 Yuzvendra Chahal
It's ironic that despite being Team India's leading wicket-taker in T20Is (96 wickets in 80 matches), seasoned leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is yet to play a World Cup match in the format. Fate has conspired in various manners to ensure this strange occurrence.
Kuldeep, one half of the KulCha combination, has made a stunning return to international cricket after a down phase during which he struggled with form and fitness issues. Chahal, though, has fallen off the selectors' radar in recent times. And that doesn't augur well as far as his T20 World Cup chances are concerned.
The 33-year-old last played a T20I in August 2023 against the West Indies in Lauderhill. Chahal's last ODI for the Men in Blue was against New Zealand in Indore in January 2023. Team India have preferred Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel due to their batting prowess.
Nevertheless, Chahal has done his chances no harm with another impressive performance in IPL 2024. The seasoned Rajasthan Royals leg-spinner is currently the second-leading wicket-taker in the competition. In seven matches, he has 12 wickets at an excellent average of 18.08.
#1 Shivam Dube
Over the years, Shivam Dube, much like Riyan Parag, has often been ridiculed for failing to live up to expectations.
However, the last couple of years have seen a different Dube in action. Under MS Dhoni, he turned into a match-winner with the bat at Chennai Super Kings last season and has continued in the same vein in the ongoing edition as well.
The left-handed batter was a key member of the CSK squad that won the IPL 2023 trophy, smashing 418 runs in 16 matches at an average of 38 and a strike rate of 158.33. This season, Dube has hammered 245 runs in seven matches at an average of 49 and a strike rate of 157.05, with two half-centuries.
There has never been any question mark about Dube's potential. However, what has stood out about his batting this season, as was the case last year, has been the clarity in his batting and the ease with which he has struck the big hits. Few players have done it better in IPL 2024.
The one big quandary with Dube is that he's an all-rounder. While bowling is not his strongest suit, his form and confidence with the ball have not been tested since CSK have been content using him as a pure batter. The Impact Player rule has allowed them to do so.
As such, if the Indian selectors want to pick him for the 2024 T20 World Cup, they will have to choose him as one of the batters and not an all-rounder. That makes matters tricky, as India already have enough options in the department. At the same time, they would be well aware that Dube could provide that X-factor in the batting department.