Former Indian fast bowler S Sreesanth has made an early prediction for the possible squad for the T20 World Cup in 2024, and it comes with a major exclusion. While most players from the Cricket World Cup 2023 squad were included in his prediction, Sreesanth left out Ravichandran Ashwin and opener Shubman Gill. Instead, he included young talent Yashasvi Jaiswal as an explosive opening batter in the team. Sreesanth also speculated on the captaincy, stating that Rohit Sharma may not play the tournament, but if he does, he will captain the side. Alternatively, Hardik Pandya could take on the captaincy role.
When asked about Sharma’s availability, Sreesanth said, “Will Rohit Sharma be playing or not is a big question. He’ll be captain because he has won all those IPLs. Either Rohit Sharma or Hardik Pandya will be captain depending on the situation, the surroundings,” Sreesanth told Sportskeeda.
In addition to Jaiswal, Sreesanth included Rishabh Pant as the third wicket-keeper option alongside KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan. Pant’s return to the national team was delayed due to a car accident, which kept him out of action for over a year. However, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly stated that Pant will participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2024.
“Pant, if he’s fit, should be there as the third keeper because he might need some time to come back to the setup. We need a match-winner, not someone who just sticks around. We need a player who is ready to play and win matches. That’s as of now. He might be the second or first wicketkeeper depending on form,” Sreesanth added.
Furthermore, Sreesanth urged the selectors to consider the performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and IPL as a basis for identifying more young talents.
Sreesanth’s predicted squad for the T20 World Cup in 2024 includes Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, and Mohammed Siraj.
