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The International Cricket Council (ICC) has set May 1st as the deadline for all cricket boards to announce their squads for the T20 World Cup, slated to be held in the USA and West Indies this year. As anticipation and speculation mount among fans regarding India’s squad for the tournament, numerous cricket experts, former players, and sports commentators have weighed in with their opinions and recommendations on the type of squad the BCCI should assemble for this prestigious T20 cricket event.
Joining them, former Indian cricketer and current member of the Hindi commentary panel of Star Sports for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, Navjot Singh Sidhu, has offered his insights on the matter.
Navjot Singh Sidhu’s key advice to Rahul Dravid
During the #AskStar segment on Star Sports, Sidhu responded to a fan’s question about what suggestion he would offer to India’s Head Coach, Rahul Dravid, to end the Indian cricket team’s 11-year trophy drought. Sidhu emphasized that if Dravid aims for Team India to secure the title, the Board must form a team consisting of five specialist bowlers capable of taking wickets. He stressed that his advice was straightforward and urged Dravid not to compromise on the team’s bowling unit while selecting the squad.
“My straight advice to Rahul Dravid is that if you want to win this tournament, have five wicket-taking specialist bowlers, simple. The collapse of a team’s character stems from the compromise column. Your character takes a hit when you compromise. You have three spinners – Bishnoi, Kuldeep and Jadeja picks himself. And play three fast bowlers,” said Sidhu on the #AskStar segment on Star Sports.
Sidhu later named pacers who should be included in India’s squad for the World Cup. He named Mayank Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohsin Khan, and Mukesh Kumar as potential representatives of India in the tournament.
“Mayank Yadav, if fit, walks into the side. Khaleel Ahmed, Mohsin Khan. And Delhi Capitals have Mukesh Kumar. I feel that the Indian team has so many options that if they take wicket-taking bowlers and do not compromise – thinking that this guy can bat a bit, bowl a bit. These bits-and-pieces things,” the 60-year-old stated.
Here is the video:
The winning formula for India in the World Cup should be by playing 5 regular wicket-taking bowlers' – @sherryontopp has his say on India's potential bowling lineup & recommends @hardikpandya7 as the 6th bowling option for the World Cup!
Do you agree with the bowlers he named… pic.twitter.com/kcmXzOuCv1
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) April 24, 2024
Also READ: Ambati Rayudu picks his India squad for the T20 World Cup 2024; Shivam Dube, Riyan Parag gets the nod
BCCI to announce Indian squad soon
Reports suggest that the selectors, headed by Ajit Agarkar, are set to meet with the India Head Coach and captain, Rohit Sharma, over the upcoming weekend to deliberate and finalize the T20 World Cup squad before its official announcement. This development signifies that the intense anticipation among Indian cricket team fans regarding the squad selection for the epic tournament will soon come to an end.
