India’s T20 World Cup Squad: Wicketkeeper’s Slot in ‘Close Call’ as One Big Star Misses Out – Report

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) source stated that the selection for the T20 Internationals and the IPL will not involve experimentation or left-field selections. Players who have consistently performed well for India and in T20 Internationals and the IPL will be rewarded. The selection committee faces a challenge in evaluating the impact of Rahul and Kishan in the middle order, as they have predominantly batted at the top of the order in the current IPL season.

Despite this, if fit, these players are expected to be selected for the upcoming series. Siraj is being rested by his IPL team, Royal Challengers Bangalore, due to constant play and the need for workload management. When it comes to the selection between Gill and Jaiswal, the former has scored more runs.

However, the selection committee may not easily give up on Jaiswal, despite a few low IPL scores, due to his potential as a big find for Indian cricket. Chahal’s exceptional bowling skills are acknowledged, but his repeated omissions from important squads raise questions about his potential inclusion in the showpiece event in June. The Impact Player rule in the IPL has been seen as detrimental to Indian cricket, as it has minimized the concept of an all-rounder and allowed half-fit players like Hardik Pandya to have premium value due to their ability to bowl.

The impact of this rule on players like Dube is a concern for the national team. Young players may receive debuts during the upcoming white-ball series against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. The probable 20 players (15 main and 5 standbys) in contention include specialist batters, all-rounders, specialist spinners, and wicketkeeper-batters.