India vs Australia: Five Players Who Boosted Their T20 World Cup 2024 Prospects

04.12.2023 - 06:07 sports.ndtv.com

Though the recently-concluded T20I series between India and Australia lacked star power, with several seniors like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Mitchell Starc, David Warner, Steve Smith giving it a miss, the bilateral series proved to be of great value for several fringe players, serving as an audition for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 to be held in West Indies and USA next year.

Here are some players who can make the squad of their respective teams for the marquee event: Ravi Bishnoi (India) The young right-arm spinner continues his impressive international run in white-ball cricket.

He was a standout with India, taking a total of nine wickets in five matches, three more than any other player at an economy rate of just 8.20.

After the pacers received the beating in the initial three overs of the powerplay, Bishnoi was India's go-to-man for a breakthrough and wickets came easy to him.

cricket Australia Cricket Team India Cricket Team 2024 FIVE cup David Warner Pat Cummins Mitchell Starc Steve Smith Josh Hazlewood Ravi Bishnoi Rohit Sharma Ruturaj Gaikwad Jason Behrendorff Rinku Singh Usa Australia India

The future of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma has been the topic of several debates both among experts and fans in the recent past. Following India's defeat against Australia in the Cricket World Cup 2023 final, reports surfaced that the veteran duo are looking to move away from the shortest format of the sport and the conversation got more intense when they were not included in the white-ball series against South Africa. However, legendary South African cricketer AB De Villiers believes that it is all about the hunger in both the players and he backed Rohit and Virat to play for India in the T20 World Cup 2024.

In Rohit Sharma's 'Message' A Big T20 World Cup 2024 Hint

Will Rohit Sharma captain India in T20 World Cup 2024? Ever since the conclusion of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, there continues to remain a sense of suspense over Rohit Sharma's continuity in white-ball cricket, especially in T20Is. In a video message on Wednesday, Rohit spoke about the World Cup final loss heartbreak for the first time since the tournament ended, while also revealing how difficult it has been for him to overcome the feeling of losing that match to Australia. While Rohit didn't categorically speak about his future plans, he did leave a big hint.

Jitesh Sharma Over Ishan Kishan In India's T20 World Cup 2024 Squad, Irfan Pathan Explains Why

The hunt for India's T20 World Cup 2024 squad is intensifying with every passing match. For the wicket-keeper's role, the likes of KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, and Jitesh Sharma have emerged as the biggest candidates. While Rahul looks like a certainty in the team, the second spot could be decided between Jitesh and Ishan. Though Ishan have the experience, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan feels Jitesh should edge the Mumbai Indians batter as he is a lower-order batter.

Rohit Sharma vs Hardik Pandya: Explaining T20 World Cup Captaincy Dilemma

The future of India's veteran batter Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are up in the air, with there being little clarity over the duo continuing to play T20I cricket for India. Though reports have surfaced, suggesting Rohit will lead India in the T20 World Cup next year. But, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) refused to give clarity on the matter, suggesting no decision has been taken yet. As for Hardik Pandya, who has been leading the Indian team in T20Is since the conclusion of the 2022 T20 World Cup, fitness remains the biggest roadblock in his pursuit of full-time captaincy in the shortest format. Hardik got injured in the ODI World Cup and isn't expected to regain full fitness anytime soon.

'Done Deal' For T20 World Cup: Ex-India Star's Big Prediction For Spinner. Not Kuldeep Yadav Or Yuzvendra Chahal

Former India opener Aakash Chopra feels young spinner Ravi Bishnoi has almost secured his place in the team for next year's T20 World Cup in West Indies and the USA. With nine dismissals to his name, the 23-year-old Bishnoi was the highest wicket-taker in the recently concluded T20I series between India and Australia. Overall, he has picked up 34 wickets at a decent economy rate of 7.14 in 21 T20Is. Chopra hailed Bishnoi for his consistency, and labelled the youngster as a "wicket-taker".

India Tour Is Going To Be Valuable Due To T20 World Cup: Heather Knight

The T20 series in India gain significance as it will show how the young visiting players excel in conditions which will be similar to what the team will experience in Bangladesh during next year's T20 World Cup, said England women's skipper Heather Knight. India and England are set to face off in a three-match T20 series, starting here on Wednesday. "I learned a lot about my game playing in Indian conditions, it really tests you as a cricketer, your skill level and how you do with the noise and the heat," Knight told reporters ahead of England's training session on Tuesday. "It is a really good place to accelerate development, to see how our young players cope with it. We have got a T20 World Cup in Bangladesh later on in the year (2024) so this tour is going to be valuable in terms of having similar conditions." The T20 World Cup is scheduled to be hosted by Bangladesh between September and October in 2024.