Samson vs Rahul, Dube in or out? Biggest dilemmas for selectors before India’s T20 World Cup squad selection

New Delhi: The countdown for the T20 World Cup 2024 has started with the tournament now less than 35 days away from getting underway in the USA and the Caribbean. India are yet to announce their final 15-man squad for the showpiece event and the deadline for the squad announcement is approaching. All teams have to submit their respective 15-man squads to ICC by May 01.

All eyes are on the Ajit Agarkar-led senior India national selection panel ahead of the deadline. Agarkar reportedly returned from Spain to Delhi on Saturday and was present at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on the sidelines of the Delhi Capitals’ clash against Mumbai Indians. The chief selector is likely to have an informal conversation with Team India captain Rohit Sharma before the squad announcement.

The Agarkar-led selection panel will have to make some tough calls before picking India’s final 15 for the T20 World Cup 2024 as they need to address several selection headaches. The biggest of them all is to pick the two wicket-keeper batters who will be on the flight to the USA and the Caribbean in June this year. Besides that, they will also have to define Virat Kohli’s role in the side if he is selected in the squad.

The selectors will also have to decide whether to pick all-rounder Shivam Dube in the squad or not amid his red-hot form for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the ongoing IPL 2024. Calls have grown louder for Dube’s inclusion in the squad especially with India lacking a proper power hitter in the middle order.

Apart from Dube’s selection, a call will also have to be made on who will constitute India’s pace attack in the tournament with Mohammed Shami out injured. It also remains to be seen if India will pick two specialist spinners of two spin all-rounders in the squad.

Here is a look at the major selection dilemmas for selectors ahead of India’s T20 World Cup squad announcement:

Sanju Samson vs KL Rahul for the 2nd wicket-keeper’s slot: 

With Rishabh Pant likely to be the first-choice wicket-keeper batter considering his current form for Delhi Capitals, the battle will be between Sanju Samson and KL Rahul for the second wicket-keeper’s slot in the squad. Both Rahul and Samson have been among the runs in the IPL 2024 but the Rajasthan Royals skipper has been mighty impressive in the middle order.

Samson has shown he can play according to the situation and can accelerate at will. Meanwhile, Rahul offers more versatility as he can batt across positions from no.1 to five in the playing XI. It remains to be seen which of the two wicket-keeper batters will make the cut in India’s squad for T20 World Cup 2024.

Virat Kohli as an opener or not?

Virat Kohli is likely to be selected in India’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad despite him bot being the most suitable option for the Men in Blue in the top order. He will manage to make the cut based on his experience and his current form in the IPL 2024 where he is currently the leading run-getter with 430 runs from 9 matches.

However, if he manages to make the cut, will Kohli play as an opener or will he bat at no.3? Having him as an opener would mean India will have to miss out on Yashasvi Jaiswal’s flamboyance and fearless approach at the top. While having at no.3 will mean India can risk Kohli costing them the momentum in the middle overs due to his inability to accelerate.

Shivam Dube in or out?

There has been a debate if Chennai Super Kings (CSK) all-rounder Shivam Dube can take Hardik Pandya’s spot in the XI. However, Hardik’s place should remain unrivalled as he is the only genuine pace all-rounder India have in their ranks at present. Dube hasn’t bowled at all in IPl 2024 but has done enough with the bat to be considered for selection. In an ideal scenario, both Dube and Hardik should be in India’s final 15 for the T20 World Cup.

Yuzvendra Chahal or Ravi Bishnoi or Axar Patel?

The selectors might also have to make a bold call on who to pick as the third spinner in the team between Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi and Axar Patel. Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja are likely to be the two first-choice inclusions in the spin department.

Chahal has been in brilliant form in IPL 2024 and recently became the first bowler to take 200 wickets in IPL. Bishnoi, on the other hand, has been far from impressive for the Lucknow Super Giants. Axar has an edge over both as he has been contributing with both the bat and the ball for the Delhi Capitals. Being an all-rounder, who can play spin reasonably well, Axar holds an edge over the other two.

Who will partner Jasprit Bumrah in the pace attack?

India have plenty of options when it comes to picking their pace attack. While Jasprit Bumrah is a sure-shot selection, the selectors need at least two more pacers to partner the premier fast bowler in the T20 World Cup 2024. Arshdeep Singh is currently the favourite to make the cut alongside Avesh Khan, the selectors can look at the likes of Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav and T Natarajan, who have all impressed for their respective teams.

• Hardik Pandya
• Indian Cricket
• IPL 2024
• KL Rahul
• Virat Kohli