Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has revealed his choice of the 15-member India squad for the T20 World Cup 2024. The tournament is set to be played in the USA and the West Indies in June this year.
India has not won the T20 World Cup since 2007 and has not lifted any ICC trophy since the 2013 Champions Trophy. India captain Rohit Sharma has said that he wants to desperately win an ICC trophy, after losing the finals of the ICC World Test Championship and the ICC World Cup to Australia last year.
Meanwhile, Sanjay Manjrekar dropped a huge bomb as he left out Virat Kohli, Rinku Singh, and Hardik Pandya from his choice of India squad for the T20 WC.
Notably, Kohli currently wears the orange cap and is left out of Manjrekar’s World Cup selection despite having amassed over 400 runs. Furthermore, even Hardik Pandya, who is leading the Mumbai Indians this season, hasn’t made the cut because of his diminished results as an all-rounder.
Regarding the team, Rohit Sharma is the captain, and the 58-year-old has selected Sanju Samson at number three, Suryakumar Yadav, and Rishabh Pant after Yashasvi Jaiswal opened the innings alongside him.
“It’s very tough because there are quite a few good and quality players around, especially after the IPL, where you get too many options. But let me make an effort. Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal the opening pair,” Manjrekar said on Star Sports.
No Hardik Pandya or Rinku Singh in Sanjay Manjrekar’s India squad for T20 World Cup
Sanju Samson, the captain of the Rajasthan Royals, has taken over Kohli’s spot in India’s Manjrekar lineup at number three. Samson has been playing well in the current IPL 2024, amassing around 400 runs from eight matches. Suryakumar Yadav, at position No. 5, and Rishabh Pant, at position 5, follow him.
KL Rahul was chosen by Manjrekar to be the backup wicketkeeper. Additionally, he only selected Ravindra Jadeja as an all-rounder, and Manjrekar omitted Rinku Singh. He selected Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav as the spinners, along with the intriguing backup choice of Krunal Pandya.
When it came time to select his fast bowlers, Manjrekar chose Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah as his top pacers. Along with Mayank Yadav of the Lucknow Super Giants and Harshit Rana of the Kolkata Knight Riders, he managed to get Avesh Khan into his team.
REVEALED: @sanjaymanjrekar's Fab 15 squad for the #T20WorldCup2024! 😲
A few interesting names get his nod for the #VisaToWorldCup, but 1 MAJOR name misses out! Do you agree with his choices for #T20WorldCupOnStar?
Participate in the biggest opinion poll ever on our social… pic.twitter.com/nvHABDyLzi
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) April 26, 2024
