NEW DELHI:
Sanju Samson
and
Yuzvendra Chahal
secured spots in India's provisional squad for the T20 World Cup on Tuesday due to their strong performances in the IPL. However, Shubman Gill and powerful hitter
Rinku Singh
were placed in the reserves group as the selectors favored experienced players for the high-profile event in June.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) revealed the Rohit Sharma-led squad after a meeting between secretary Jay Shah and chief selector Ajit Agarkar in Ahmedabad.
The T20 World Cup commences on June 1 in the USA and the Caribbean. India will start their campaign against Ireland on June 5 in New York.
All-rounder
Hardik Pandya
was kept as the vice-captain despite his recent lack of form, as he continues to lead the Mumbai Indians in the current IPL season.
Explosive batter Shivam Dube was also included in the squad following his impressive IPL performances for the Chennai Super Kings.
"There was a lot of debate over Hardik's place in the squad while Samson was not debated much. Rinku was just unlucky. It was a toss-up between (Dube and Rinku with Hardik also in the squad," a BCCI source told PTI.
Samson, who has excelled in the IPL both as a batsman and captain for the Rajasthan Royals, was selected as the second wicketkeeper-batter behind Rishabh Pant, edging out
KL Rahul
and Ishan Kishan.
Leg-spinner Chahal, who last represented India in August 2023, was included as the second wrist spinner alongside Kuldeep Yadav.
Despite a strong IPL season as the Gujarat Titans captain, Gill was placed among the standbys along with Kolkata Knight Riders' hard-hitting Rinku Singh.
The selectors showed confidence in Yashasvi Jaiswal, who, after a slow start in the IPL, regained form with a swashbuckling century for the Rajasthan Royals.
The formidable Virat Kohli rounded out the Indian top order with his solid batting performances in the IPL.
(With inputs from PTI)
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