Former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan has announced his 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, with some surprising inclusions and exclusions. The selection of RCB pacer Yash Dayal has particularly drawn attention.
Rishabh Pant won the Player of the Match award in DC's win over GT (AP Photo)
New Delhi,UPDATED: Apr 27, 2024 13:29 IST
Former India pacer Zaheer Khan made surprising additions and omissions to his 15-member India squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the Americas. One of the standout selections in Zaheer Khan's squad is RCB pacer Yash Dayal. Dayal's inclusion adds a fresh dynamic to India's fast-bowling arsenal, particularly with Mohammed Shami's absence due to injury. Zaheer emphasized Yash Dayal's versatility, highlighting his ability to deliver crucial overs upfront and at the death, offering valuable flexibility to the team's bowling unit.
"When I talk about Yash Dayal, it's a floating spot when the 15 are announced because Mohammed Shami will not be available for the tournament. He's one bowler that if you need someone to bowl up, you have Yash Dayal. If you want a back-end bowler and if Siraj's form is spotty, he can be used there as well." Another eyebrow-raising decision by Zaheer was the selection of Rishabh Pant as the sole wicketkeeper in the squad. Zaheer Khan justified this choice by prioritizing the inclusion of four frontline pace bowlers over an additional wicketkeeping option. While acknowledging the presence of other talented wicketkeepers like KL Rahul and Sanju Samson, Zaheer underscored the importance of maximising the team's bowling resources, especially in the context of a month-long tournament where depth in the fast-bowling department could prove pivotal.
"Rishabh Pant is my only wicket-keeper. I have given more importance to bringing four pace bowlers. You don't want to sacrifice a fast bowler for another wicketkeeper. You have options like KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, and many want to see Dinesh Karthik. At this point, we can consider Mahendra Singh Dhoni as well because of his strike rate! I think they'll focus on current players like Samson, KL Rahul, and maybe even Jitesh Sharma. If you're building a team for a month-long tournament, your travelling reserve could be your wicketkeeper."
IPL 2024 Full Coverage | IPL 2024 Points Table and Standings | 2024 IPL Full Schedule
Zaheer Khan named 16 players in his squad, with the caveat that only one player between GT captain Shubman Gill and Rajasthan opener Yashasvi Jaiswal would be selected as the opener next to Rohit Sharma. "The toughest decision the selectors will have to make will be choosing one opener out of two terrific options. Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal, I think only one of them will make it because the thinktank will want flexibility in the team. A player can't be limited to just one role, they might need to move around the batting order."
Zaheer Khan's picks for Team India
Batters: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill/Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh
All-Rounders: Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja
Wicket-Keeper: Rishabh Pant
Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Yash Dayal, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal
Published By:
Saurabh Kumar
Published On:
Apr 27, 2024
English (US) ·