There have been debates on social media on the exclusion of KL Rahul from the T20 World Cup Squad, with some agreeing and some disagreeing with the selectors and captain Rohit Sharma. In the press conference, when Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar and Captain Rohit Sharma were asked about KL Rahul’s Exclusion, this is what they had to say:
“KL Rahul has been opening in the IPL. We were mainly looking for middle-order options. So, we felt that Samson and Pant are better suited for that. Samson can bat anywhere in the lineup. So, it was just about what we needed and not about who was better.”
The revelation of India’s 15-player lineup for the T20 World Cup scheduled for June has stirred a mix of astonishment and dissatisfaction, reflecting selectors’ strategic balance between seasoned expertise and current form to break an 11-year dry spell in ICC trophy victories.
Sanju Samson and Yuzvendra Chahal stood out as significant additions, acknowledged for their outstanding displays during the ongoing IPL season. Nevertheless, the exclusion of Rinku Singh and Shubman Gill from the primary squad has sparked curiosity, indicating a preference for tried-and-tested players in pursuit of championship success.
India Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Hardik Pandya (VC), 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, Mohd. Siraj.