Shivam Dube and Sanju Samson, who are part of India's 15-man squad for the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 World Cup, were dismissed without scoring in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match soon after the squad was announced. This was all the more surprising as Dube and Sanju had shown great performances in this season's IPL and had broken into the team. Dube, who has scored 350 runs in nine matches this year, was dismissed twice for a first-ball duck against Punjab Kings, while Sanju, who has scored 385 runs in nine matches, missed the mark against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). I couldn't. Incidentally, and in an even stranger coincidence, Yuzvendra Chahal, the burly leg-spinner who returned to the national team on the back of a string of outstanding performances in this IPL, scored 62 runs in the four matches he was allotted. Over against SHR.
It is certain that the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee was observing these incidents with some degree of worry and apprehension. It would not have warmed their hearts to see these three players, who were selected solely based on the form they showed in the IPL, suddenly look mediocre immediately after selection. Cricket is a game where the unexpected happens surprisingly often, and we all know that the T20 version is even more prone to shocks and surprises than other versions. The coincidence of misfortunes by Sanju, Dube and Chahal shows how fickle fate can be in the shortest edition of cricket, and even the best-laid plans can go awry in an instant.
What are the basic principles and policies that should guide the selection committee's decisions when choosing teams for international championships? Undoubtedly, the goal is to win the tournament and lift the trophy, and therefore to select the best possible team must be selected. The next question concerns the parameters that configure what is best. The most important question here is: should the selection be based on the current form or should more emphasis be placed on experience? This is an area where most selection committees have a dilemma, and the current selection committee headed by Agarkar is no exception.
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah had announced in February that Rohit Sharma would lead the team in the T20 World Cup. This was a departure from the normal procedure in which a national selection committee decides who should lead the team and the announcement is made by the secretary who acts as the convener of this committee. The announcement comes in the backdrop of Hardik Pandya having been plagued by repeated injuries, including during the ICC World Cup in India last year. Pandya enjoyed great success as captain of Gujarat Titans in the IPL and was being groomed to take over the leadership of the national team in T20 Internationals, but injury issues led the BCCI to backtrack to Rohit.
Rohit and Virat Kohli are experienced campaigners and will give their best for the big stage. Fans of the game will never be able to forget the innings Kohli played against Pakistan in his last T20 World Cup. Therefore, despite their advanced age, their choices are not frowned upon. Veteran Ravindra Jadeja, one of the best all-rounders in all versions of the game, is also an automatic choice, as is fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah. Suryakumar Yadav (SKY) and Mohammed Siraj have not been in top form of late, with the former having only recently returned from sports hernia surgery. However, their rich experience and ability to perform well in important matches helped them step into the team.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, who made his return to active cricket after a 15-month break due to a road accident, has achieved decent form both in front of and behind the stumps and has achieved peak fitness levels. I showed them that I was there, and that helped. Get the nod from the selectors. Yashasvi Jaiswal went through a bad patch at the start of the IPL but showed signs of coming out of it in the last three matches. Pandya was a shadow of his former self, unable to generate the pace he once did, while his return to form at Willow was brief. However, he retained his position and was named vice-captain, probably due to his immense potential and previous experience.
Arshdeep Singh, a left-arm medium pacer, Kuldeep Yadav, a left-arm unconventional spin bowler, and Axar Patel, a left-arm orthodox spinner, have all been in good form with the ball in the IPL. This team looks slightly overloaded with four spin bowlers – Jadeja, Chahal, Patel and Kuldeep. Kuldeep has been bowling very well lately and could be a surprise packet as his style of bowling is more unpredictable and difficult to pick. They have four pace bowlers, including Pandya, but apart from Bumrah, the attack doesn't seem to have the necessary bite and venom.
Is this the best team to represent the country? The job of a selector is a thankless one as some of their decisions are bound to be criticized. This time too, there are complaints that Rinku Singh was overlooked and Shubman Gill and KL Rahul were not included. Rinku, who had performed well every time he was given the chance, was clearly unlucky. Additionally, he remains the best finisher in the country, an area where this team lacks a specialist. While Gill was boosted by the presence of Rohit and Kohli, Pant's recovery and Sanju's current form worked against Rahul's participation.
Who will be left in the final playing eleven? Rohit and Kohli need to open up as they are doing this job for their respective franchisees in the IPL. As it stands now, Sanju should take the number 3 position, followed by SKY. Pant and Jadeja follow in fifth and sixth place respectively. At No. 7, it will be a toss-up between Pandya and Dube, with the former having the advantage in terms of bowling ability and experience. Bumrah and Kuldeep will occupy two of the four spots from No. 8 to No. 11, with Axar and Chahal competing for the last spinner spot, while Siraj and Arshdeep will be competing for the second pace bowler spot. .
If the team management decides that Kohli will bat at number three, as he usually does in international matches, Jaiswal may be included in the playing eleven and Sanju may be forced to miss out. Another option would be to have Sanju bat at number five and remove Pant from the playing eleven. This is unlikely given that Pant brings his X-factor, but few can boast of that. However, considering Sanju's current form and the fact that he bats at No. 3 position and scores all the runs for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, both these options are extremely unfair to Sanju. It will be.
The next T20 World Cup will be unique in many ways. This is the first time that the championship will be held in the United States, which is co-hosting the tournament with the West Indies. In addition, the number of participating teams will increase to 20, providing an opportunity for many new countries to debut. Teams will be divided into four groups of five teams each, with the top two teams in each group qualifying for the Super 8 stage. The teams that advance to the Super 8 stage will be divided into two pools, with the top two teams from each advancing to the semi-finals. The final will be held on June 29th in Bridgetown, Barbados. India will be in Group A along with Pakistan, Ireland, Canada and the United States. The high-profile match between India and Pakistan will take place on June 9th in East Meadow, New York.
India has not won a title since 2007, when Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team stunned the cricketing world. This victory changed not only the game of cricket but also the history of Indian cricket, leading to the emergence of the IPL and helping India become an economic powerhouse in the sport. However, despite hosting the most popular championship in this version of the game, India was unable to recreate the magic that she witnessed in 2007.
Staring into a crystal ball is a dangerous act in any field of sport, but it's even more so in cricket, which is famous for its glorious uncertainty. A list of past winners shows that every major cricketing nation except New Zealand has lifted this trophy, with England and the West Indies achieving it twice. Therefore, the field remains open and all the top teams participating in this championship dream of increasing the distance and potentially emerging a winner.
We wish Rohit and his team all the best in their mission to regain the glory of world champions. And I join all the fans of the game in Kerala in offering special prayers to Sanju as he steps into the biggest arena in this version of the game.
(The author is a former international cricket umpire and high-ranking bureaucrat)