In the India T20 World Cup Squad Press Conference, Ajit says, ‘Decision to drop Rinku Singh toughest’
The fans of the Indian Cricket Team are eagerly waiting to get answers to some questions in the press conference related to the T20 World Cup squad of Team India by Captain Rohit Sharma and Chief Selector of BCCI AjitAgarkar.
In the conference, when Rohit was asked about the captaincy saga, he said, “It’s been a great experience. I have played under a lot of captains. It isn’t new to me. Whatever is there, is there. You go by it and try to do what is required of you as a player. I have only tried to do that in the last month or so.”
While answering the question about why Rohit Sharma is again chosen as the captain of the T20 World Cup squad, AjitAgarkar calls Rohit Sharma a great player and explains why he was picked as the skipper over Hardik Pandya. Agarkar also confirms that the T20 World Cup squad was not picked based on the performances in the IPL 2024. On being asked why KL Rahul was left out
“Rahul has been batting in the top order; we were looking for middle-order WK, and we feel Sanju has the ability to bat down the order. It is about the slots we needed to fill; that is the thinking behind backing Pant and Samson,” Agarkar said.
Rohit had addressed the combination of team India as he said, “Our top-order hitting has been alright and not bad. We wanted players in the middle order to come and hit out, which is why we got Shivam Dube in. We picked a guy, Shivam Dube, based on what he has done in the IPL. And he has played a few games before as well. There is no guarantee on the playing XI. We will go there, assess the conditions, and then select the side.”
On the other hand, AjitAgarkar explains the logic behind keeping Rinku Singh in reserve as he says, “The decision was the toughest. It’s got nothing to do with Rinku Singh. It is just a combination. We felt Rohit could have an extra spin option with two wrist spinners. He is in the reserves, so that’s how close he was.”
On being asked about Hardik Pandya, Ajit said, “Hardik Pandya is coming after a long injury layoff, and he has looked fit and taken part in all games for MI. I don’t think there’s a replacement for the kind of role he plays. His fitness is critical.” He also said that Virat Kohli’s strike rate hasn’t been discussed among the selectors. He backs Kohli to do well in the T20 World Cup, citing his vast experience.
While talking about the expectations from the team, Rohit said, "Unfortunately, Shivam Dube hasn’t bowled in the IPL, but he is a seasoned all-rounder who bowls regularly in red-ball cricket, so both him and Hardik will be bowling.”
Rohit also said that as the match is on June 5, he is not going to talk about the team combination.