New Delhi: Like the proverbial old wine in a new bottle, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, plumped for Rohit Sharm as captain for the ICC T20 World Cup. Minus intrigue or suspense, the inclusion of Virat Kohli, indeed a marquee player, and the return of Rishabh Pant in the 15-man squad has shown the selectors preferred not to experiment too much when the team was named in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
Selecting Team India for any major competition is a bit like pollsters trying to predict what will be the outcome of the ongoing General Elections to choose the Members of Parliament for the Lok Sabha. The only difference, voting through social media, which had hinted at the exclusion of “senior” or “veteran” cricketers has been smashed out of the park.
The kind of bilge being peddled on social media in the last few weeks over the team selection has been hilarious. Rohit Sharma was described as “over the hill” and Virat Kohli as someone who does not know how to play spin. Worse, Kohli, having scored 500 runs plus in IPL 2024, was being taunted for a poor strike rate.
These are the perils of social media in vogue nowadays, where the pedigree of a player has been questioned not just by the ignorant, but even by some famous TV commentators who wield the microphone during the IPL. Perhaps, Kohli’s class and calibre had been forgotten, on how he had smashed that famous six off Harris Rauf in Australia two years ago. Rohit Sharma will be making his ninth appearance in the T20 World Cup, having previously participated in the 2007 edition.
If the inclusion of Rohit and Virat in the challenging format for the Indian side is significant, the return of Rishabh Pant has been most exciting. Here is a young man who was nearly killed in a car crash in December 2022, near Roorkee. To say that he has bounced back to life after that accident, major surgeries and rehab is a sign of more than a miracle. Even the Mumbai ortho surgeon who had performed the knee surgery on Pant had said it would take time for Pant to return, approximately 18 months. But then, the way Rishabh Pant worked out in rehab and at the gym has seen him compete in IPL 2024 without any fear. He has led Delhi Capitals with flair, even though the side may not make it to the playoffs in the IPL. What is also noteworthy is how Pant has not flinched from keeping wickets. It’s a clear sign he has been keen to showcase his fitness and skills in the IPL to earn a place back in the India squad.
To be sure, relegating Shubman Gill to the reserves list will rankle a few. Captain of Gujarat Titans in the IPL, Gill has struggled for form over the last five weeks. At the same time, KL Rahul also not being considered is a sign the selectors looked at form, IPL, plus past performances.
Shivam Dube and Sanju Samson have barged their way into the squad. To have left them out would have been blasphemy. Samson has led Rajasthan Royals with relish in IPL 2024 and reminded selectors if two wicket-keepers are to travel to the West Indies and the USA, he cannot be forgotten.
In the pace/seam bowling department, there may be a lean look. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd Siraj and Arshdeep Singh will be backed by Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube as seam-bowling options. Pandya has done little worth noting in this IPL as captain of Mumbai Indians, with bat and ball, but he has been preferred as he has backing of a strong lobby. There are doubts how fit he is, but he has won back the vice-captaincy job again. In spin department, old wine Ravindra Jadeja is there with Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal. After India bombed at the box office in the last T20 World Cup, losing to England in the semi-finals, experiments were done. The focus was on youth but the way “old wine” has made a comeback, it is clear the BCCI selection committee has not dared to experiment too much with the team template.