The debate continues over India’s T20 World Cup squad that was announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday. It pretty much consisted of players who took part in the recently concluded Asia Cup, where India were knocked out in the Super 4 after back to back defeats in matches against Pakistan and eventual title winners Sri Lanka. It was expected that there could be a couple of changes to the squad considering how things went in the tournament but the Indian squad that was released on Monday hardly had any changes.
Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar, who has also served as the chairman of the national selection committee in the past, has said that India should have included fast bowlers Mohammed Shami and Umran Malik and opening batter Shubman Gill in the squad.
“I would have picked Mohammed Shami, Umran Malik and Shubman Gill for the T20 World Cup. Would have given them a long run in T20Is because they all had a brilliant IPL season,” Vengsarkar told The Indian Express. “I can’t really comment on who bats at what number. It is up to the think tank, the coach, the captain and the vice-captain. But I feel Suryakumar Yadav, who is batting at 4, can bat at 5 as well. He can be a great finisher,” he said.
A number of former players, including ex-head coach Ravi Shastri, expressed surprise about Shami not being in the reckoning for the T20 World Cup despite being the highest wicket taker for the Gujarat Titans in their title-winning season in the IPL this year. Meanwhile, opener KL Rahul has struggled to find form since returning from an injury that had kept him out since the end of the IPL through to India’s last bilateral series in Zimbabwe.
“T20 is not like ODIs and Test cricket, where you need certain batters at certain positions. In this format, anybody can bat anywhere. You don’t have time to settle down. One should go after the bowlers from ball one,” said Vengsarkar.