No Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant Returns! Ex-India Star's Early Picks For T20 World Cup 2024 Squad

22.11.2023 - 08:40 sports.ndtv.com

Former Indian cricket team fast bowler S Sreesanth made an early prediction about the possible squad for T20 World Cup 2024 and it had a major exclusion.

While almost all the players from the Cricket World Cup 2023 squad was included in his prediction, the two exclusions were Ravichandran Ashwin and opener Shubman Gill.

Instead, Sreesanth included youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal as an explosive opening batter in the team. Sreesanth also said that there is a chance Rohit Sharma may not play the tournament but if he plays, he will captain the side.

The other option will be for Hardik Pandya to be captain. "Will Rohit Sharma be playing or not is a big question. He'll be captain because he has won all those IPLs.

cricket India Cricket Team Sreesanth 2024 cup Rohit Sharma Hardik Pandya Sourav Ganguly Rishabh Pant Shubman Gill India

India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is all set to lead the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL). The Delhi-based franchise expects the 26-year-old to be fully fit before the start of the 17th season of the cash-rich domestic T20 league, according to ESPNcricinfo. At the recent camp of the Delhi Capitals in Kolkata before the next edition of the event, Pant went through the paces under the watchful eyes of the coaching staff comprising Ricky Ponting, Sourav Ganguly, and Pravin Amre.

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.

India's Predicted XI vs South Africa, 1st T20I: Who Will Make Way For Shubman Gill?

After drubbing Australia by a 4-1 margin in the five-match T20I series, the Indian cricket team will be high on confidence when it takes on South Africa on the latter's soil in a three-match series in the shortest format. Suryakumar Yadav will continue to lead the team in T20Is as Rohit Sharma remains absent in the format. The likes of Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja are back in the squad and it will be interesting to see which players make way for them.

"Having To Miss Out On World Cup...": Shubman Gill's Bittersweet Review Of 2023

It has been a brilliant year for Shubman Gill. The talented Indian cricket team opener showed brilliant form in all three formats of the game and his numbers specifically in ODI cricket were extraordinary. Gill is currently the leading run-scorer this year with 1584 runs in 29 matches at an average of 63.36 with the help of five centuries. However, in a recent interaction, the youngster said that the loss in the Cricket World Cup 2023 final somewhat dampened his mood but was quick to point out that he, along with his teammates, will have a chance to improve situations in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024.

'Direct Shoot-Out Between Ruturaj Gaikwad And Shubman Gill For T20 WC': Ex-India Star's Big Claim

In the absence of big names like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, a young Indian team, led by Suryakumar Yadav, thrashed Australia 4-1 in a five-match T20Is series. Ruturaj Gaikwad was India's top-scorer in the series with 223 runs in five matches at an average of 55.75. However, former India opener Aakash Chopra feels Gaikwad will face stiff competition from Shubman Gill for a place in the Indian team at the T20 World Cup next year.

Ex-India Star Picks "24-Carat Gold" Player To Succeed Rohit Sharma As Test Captain

Former Indian cricket team opener Aakash Chopra believes that Rishabh Pant can end up replacing Rohit Sharma as the Test captain in the near future. Chopra went on to call Pant a '24-carat gold' Test cricketer and said that a 'gamechanger' like the wicket-keeper batter can be perfect as a long-term replacement of Rohit. Chopra also named Shubman Gill as a possible alternative along with Pant and although not much is known about his captaincy skills, the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season will see the opener lead Gujarat Titans after the departure of Hardik Pandya. On the other hand, Pant is expected to make his long-awaited return from injury and he will also be leading the Delhi Capitals franchise.