Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant marching ahead in World Cup selection race Photo : ANIAce India batter Virat Kohli and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant are certainties in India's T20 World Cup squad, even as rumours around the former getting dropped were doing the rounds for quite some time now.
Pant, who went off the radar of Indian cricket because of a tragic accident in December 2022, is very much in line for a recall into the Indian team for the World Cup.
"Yeah look it's great for Indian cricket, but it's also great for Rishabh Pant.
Surprisingly, India's latest pace sensation Mayank Yadav has also brought himself into reckoning after consistently clocking 150kmph.
He sustained a side strain while bowling against the Gujarat Titans but is on the selectors' radar.
Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant marching ahead in World Cup selection race Photo : ANI
Ace India batter Virat Kohli and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant are certainties in India's T20 World Cup squad, even as rumours around the former getting dropped were doing the rounds for quite some time now. According to a report in Cricbuzz, with over 300 runs in five games in IPL 2024, including a hundred, Kohli is the highest scorer till now and there is no way he will miss the flight to the Windies, although there have been debates about his strike rate.
Pant, who went off the radar of Indian cricket because of a tragic accident in December 2022, is very much in line for a recall into the Indian team for the World Cup. His recent performances in IPL 2024 have given him an edge over Ishan Kishan and Jitesh Sharma and the selectors believe that he is ready for international cricket.
"Yeah look it's great for Indian cricket, but it's also great for Rishabh Pant. I think the work that has gone into his rehab to get back to that level of play at any standard is an amazing achievement. He deserves a lot of credit for his hard work and it's great to see him on the field, captaining and playing well, batting and keeping," former Australia skipper Michael Clarke told Star Sports recently.
He went on to add: "He's a wonderful player and everybody is happy that he's back on the field and we want to see him play for Delhi, but we also want to see him come back and play for India as soon as possible."
The problem in front of the selectors though is about Shubman Gill . With Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal all set to open and Kohli firmly slotted at No. 3, there is unfortunately no place for the 'prince' of Indian cricket, Kohli's heir apparent.
Then there is the question regarding Yuzvendra Chahal. He has competitions in Kuldeep Yadav and allrounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are assured of their places. Arshdeep Singh is also in contention but doesn't have a guaranteed spot yet.
Surprisingly, India's latest pace sensation Mayank Yadav has also brought himself into reckoning after consistently clocking 150kmph. He sustained a side strain while bowling against the Gujarat Titans but is on the selectors' radar.
The team's selection is expected to be done in the first week of May, with a clearer picture in front of the selectors with IPL 2024 halfway through.
