India's T20 World Cup 2024 Squad Press Conference Highlights: We haven’t been discussing Virat Kohli’s strike rate, asserts Ajit Agarkar
Indian Men's cricket captain Rohit Sharma and Senior Men's team chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar are answering questions on India's T20 World Cup 2024 squad in a press conference at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai.
The 15-member Men in Blue squad for the ICC event to be held in the West Indies and the USA from June 1 to June 29 was named on April 30. The team will be led by Rohit, while all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been named vice-captain.
While Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal find a place in the main squad, KL Rahul, Rinku Singh and Shubman Gill are among the prominent names missing. Gill and Rinku have been named among the reserves.
Here are Live Updates of India's 2024 T20 World Cup Squad Press Conference:
Agarkar: KL is a terrific player. We were looking at players who can bat in the middle. Sanju and Pant can bat in the middle. That’s mainly the thinking.
Rohit: Not being captain is nothing new to me. You do what is required for you as a player. I am used to it.
Agarkar: Rohit’s been a terrific leader. I know Hardik led a few series before that. But Rohit’s form in the [ODI] World Cup coupled with the timing [led to him being named as captain].
Agarkar: If you start getting swayed by 2-3 months of cricket [IPL], then there is something wrong. We were pretty clear in our thinking [when it came to team selection]
Rohit: The talk of what our 15 is going to be like began before the IPL. Anyone can hit a hundred in the IPL. Only a few spots were to be discussed.
Agarkar: As long as Hardik Pandya is fit, there is no one that can replace him. There is still time before the first [World Cup] match. So far, he has done decently in the IPL.
Agarkar: It’s probably the toughest decision we had to make. He’s [Rinku Singh] done nothing wrong, nor has Gill. It’s just the combination. It’s not Rinku’s fault. It’s tough, but at the end of the day you can only pick 15.
Agarkar: We haven’t been discussing Virat Kohli’s strike rate. No concerns at all there.
Rohit: Shivam hasn’t bowled a lot in the IPL, but he is a seasoned bowler in red ball cricket. If required, he will definitely bowl. Same with Hardik, he is bowling in the IPL. All-rounders will do the job they are supposed to do.
Rohit: Both left-arm spinners [Jadeja, Axar] are playing well. Ashwin hasn’t played a lot. Axar has been bowling well in the format. He gives us that left-handed option to do something different in the middle.
India's squad for T20 World Cup 2024: Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya (vice captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan