Team India Selector Ajit Agarkar Tells Why KL Rahul Is Not Selected For T20 World Cup 2024

A day after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the 15-men squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar addressed the media. In the presser, Rohit Sharma and Ajit Agarkar shared their views on the team selection, and what merits were in their mind during the selection and answered many burning questions that Indian cricket fans have been raising through social media.

When asked why Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson have been picked instead of KL Rahul, who has been performing well in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL 2024), Ajit Agarkar said the team needed a batter who can play in the middle order. Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson bat at numbers 4 and 5, and there was no vacancy at the top order as Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal are already there.

The selection committee had a tough time in selecting the right wicketkeeper for the World Cup squad as they had Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Dinesh Karthik, and KL Rahul as options. All four players are in great form and have been scoring big for their franchise sides in the IPL.

However, the management booked World Cup berths for Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson.

Skipper Rohit Sharma shared his views on the selection of bowlers for the World Cup team. He said he wanted 4 spinners- Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Yuzvendra Chahal- to be in the side as it is a long tour. Of course, only two spinner will play at a time, but what combination is going to be it, will depend on the conditions and pitch.

On all-rounders, Rohit Sharma said Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dubey have a lot to do. Hardik has been bowling well for Mumbai Indians, while Shivam Dubey has that quality. Unfortunately, he did not get the chance to bowl, but Shivam has that quality and can bowl whenever required.