Days after England, New Zealand and South Africa announced their squads, Rohit Sharma’s Team India will today announce their squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
The upcoming T20 World Cup in USA and West Indies will give the Indian team another chance at an important ICC title, which has been lost since 2013. The Champions Trophy triumph in England under the captaincy of MS Dhoni remains India’s last international title. Rohit Sharma’s side had the chance to win two trophies last year but Pat Cummins’ Australia denied them the chance on both occasions.
Meeting Rohit Sharma, Ajit Agarkar and Rahul Dravid on Sunday
On Sunday (April 28) after Delhi Capitals’ clash against Mumbai Indians in New Delhi, Rohit Sharma had a two-hour meeting with Rahul Dravid and Ajit Agarkar. The Indian captain, head coach and chief selector discussed in detail India’s 15-member squad composition for the ICC T20 World Cup later in June.
Rohit Sharma reportedly had a brief discussion or general planning meeting with Dravid and Agarkar on April 26. But on April 28, the trio met in detail about who will be the core players of the 15-man squad and who should be selected as backup players.
Focus on adaptable players
One of the biggest highlights of this meeting was reportedly the surfaces there in the US and the West Indies. The host nations will not have the same type of pitches that were rolled out for them 2024 Indian Premier League Season.
Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid and Ajit Agarkar is said to have kept the conditions in mind while selecting the World Cup squad. Their focus was not on players who have impressed this IPL season but on those who have the ability to optimize their game on different surfaces.
Notably, the pitches in West Indies will not be the flat batting tracks laid out in IPL. The conditions will be much more varied and much slower and we may not regularly score more than 250 total points. Therefore, the focus is on players who are able to adapt their game accordingly.
With this being Rohit Sharma’s fourth ICC tournament as India’s captain, the right-hand batsman wants to leave no stone unturned. After missing two golden opportunities in the WTC final in June and the Cricket World Cup final in October 2023, Rohit and Co. will be hungrier than ever for the elusive ICC trophy.
When will India start their T20 World Cup campaign?
The Indian team will open its 20-team T20 World Cup 2024 against Ireland on Wednesday, June 5 New York. They will face arch-rivals Pakistan in their next Group A game on June 9 at the same venue. Rohit Sharma’s men will face the United States of America and Canada in their final two group games on June 12 and 15 in New York and Florida.