Shubman Gill, Mohammed Siraj dropped, Sanju Samson replaced by KL Rahul in India's T20 World Cup squad of Mohammad Kaif

Shubman Gill (L) and Mohammed Siraj (C) didn’t find a place in Kaif’s T20 WC squad. KL Rahul (R) was included as second-choice WK

As the deadline day closes in for T20 World Cup squad selection, speculations are rife over the Team India stars who will make it to the 15-member side. This year’s Indian Premier League holds particular significance for the squad selection, as the T20 World Cup begins merely five days after the season; naturally, the performances in the tournament are likely to have a key impact on the final squad.

As Indian skipper Rohit Sharma gears up for a meeting with chief selector Ajit Agarkar and head coach Rahul Dravid to finalise the squad, several former India cricketers have stepped in, proposing their own 15-member squads and grappling with some challenging decisions at hand. On Friday, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif listed down his 15-member squad, too, while also naming his first-choice Indian playing XI. Team India is scheduled to kickstart their campaign in the marquee tournament against Ireland on June 5.

Unlike a few – including former captain Sourav Ganguly – who believe Virat Kohli should open alongside Rohit Sharma, Kaif stated he would want Yashasvi Jaiswal to kickstart the Indian innings alongside the captain. Virat Kohli, the current Orange Cap holder in the ongoing IPL season, finds his place at No.3 in the XI. Following him is Suryakumar Yadav, who made his return to competitive cricket in this year’s IPL, too.

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Another returnee, Rishabh Pant, who produced an emphatic performance in his previous match for the Delhi Capitals against Gujarat Titans (88* off 43 balls), was picked as India’s first-choice wicketkeeper by Mohammad Kaif. He found his place at No.5 in Kaif’s XI, with under-fire Hardik Pandya coming in at 6.

Pandya’s stint as Mumbai Indians skipper hasn’t gone according to the plan so far. Under Hardik, MI made a slow start, losing their first three matches before registering their first win against the Delhi Capitals. MI are currently eighth in the IPL 2024 table with three wins to their name so far.

Ravindra Jadeja, who plays for the Chennai Super Kings, is the no.7 for Kaif, while Axar Patel also finds a place in the XI. Kuldeep Yadav, who has been brilliant for the DC in the IPL season so far, is next, with pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh completing the XI.

The bench

There was a surprise in store in Kaif’s remaining squad as Mohammed Siraj, who has been a part of Team India across all formats over the past few years, didn’t find a place in the final 15. Instead, it was the unusual selection of Sandeep Sharma, who last played for the national team in July 2015. Sandeep, who plies his trade for the Rajasthan Royals in IPL, was brilliant for the side in its previous match against Mumbai Indians, taking a five-wicket haul; he registered figures of 5/18 in the game.

Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh, who were reported to be fighting for a single slot in the squad, found their places on the bench in Kaif’s final 15. Dube has been in explosive form for the CSK in the ongoing season, while Rinku, too, has been a regular for Team India in the shortest format since last year’s IPL.

While many have included Sanju Samson in their 15-member squad, Kaif has put the RR captain in reserves, instead selecting KL Rahul as the last member of the squad for the T20 World Cup. Samson is on the backup list alongside IPL’s leading wicket-taker Yuzvendra Chahal, and Avesh Khan.

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