Moving on from CWC 23 to T20 World Cup 2024: Selectors need to address the Elephant in the Room!

Team India will embark on a journey to end their title drought. While the fans rode in high expectations during the ODI World Cup, it ended in a heartbreak after the Men in Blue lost to Australia. The Indian Cricket Team will be determined to win the upcoming majors tournament, and the selection committee will have the challenge of picking up the ideal players for the limited-over tournament. A task of such magnitude needs to be done while keeping the relevant aspects in mind as well.

3 things you need to know

• The T20 World Cup will be hosted in the US and West Indies
• It is the first time that the Cricket World Cup will head to the United States
• Team India is pitted against Pakistan, Ireland, Canada and one of the co-hosts, USA   

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T20 World Cup: Team India needs a solid strategy, potent squad and stardom

The Indian Cricket Team will have a new challenge in the T20 World Cup as they will clash against Ireland, Canada, the US, and their arch-rivals Pakistan. It is now time for the selectors to think outside the box when they begin making the decisions when they put the squad together.

The recent developments may indicate that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have seemingly made themselves available for the World Cup after they were announced for the Afghanistan series, and they may look to acclimate to the format. But it could put the brakes on emerging talent of being a part of the T20WC. Since Rohit and Kohli are top-order batters, the selectors would have to keep the young strikers in the middle order, while some could be overlooked.

In an ideal scenario, youngsters like Rinku Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and more have broken into the scene and proved their worth in T20I cricket. Rinku has established himself as a Marksman finisher, and Yashasvi has the credibility to open with big knocks. Rohit and Kohli have shined throughout the ODI World Cup but are average T20I players. While their statistics may suggest something else, the upcoming World Cup will be a 120-ball affair, and while there seems to be a risk, the batter has to take the chance to make the hit. 

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What can the selectors do with Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli?

Given that Rohit Sharma is making himself available for the T20I series vs Afghanistan, the position indicates that the Hitman will captain Team India in the T20 World Cup in 2024. Rohit has displayed efficiency and takes risks when he comes to bat, which was inevitably visible during the ODI World Cup. Given that the opener can deliver a CWC 23-like performance, Rohit could be a fit for the team. 

However, in terms of Virat Kohli, if the Ajit Agarkar-led panel wants the best squad to represent the country and win the T20 World Cup, then Virat Kohli needs to be off the team. While the above opinion may sound controversial, dropping a player of such stature will be difficult. Given that Kohli has global stardom and is a household name like Sachin Tendulkar and Vivian Richards when it comes to cricket, an economic issue will arise due to his absence from the World Cup, which will be hosted for the first time in America.

Dropping Kohli down the lineup and making him emerge as a middle-order batsman could be an option to keep him on the team. In the worst-case scenario, Kohli needs to be dropped in the order and emerge as a middle-order batter.