BCCI announce India's squad for T20 World Cup 2024; fans say Rinku Singh deserves better

After speculations regarding players' inclusion in the squad and key players to get excluded, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has finally unveiled the members who will comprise India's 15-member T20 World Cup squad. With Rohit Sharma leading the Men in Blue and Hardik Pandya serving as vice-captain, there are no major changes.

However, although there are no major surprises, Rinku Singh has been placed in the reserves alongside Shubman Gill, Avesh Khan, and Khaleel Ahmed. Singh's inclusion in the reserves has sparked discussions among fans, with many asserting that he deserves a spot in the 15-member squad.

Among other players, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravi Bishnoi and Sandeep Sharma are absent from the team. 

"If I am Sitting pretty at 6th in the ICC T20i rankings, but not in the World Cup lineup, it’s a tough pill to swallow," Irfan Pathan posted on X. 

Sanju Samson has been selected as the wicketkeeper alongside Rishabh Pant. Additionally, the return of Yuzvendra Chahal and Shivam Dube's maiden World Cup call-up have been noteworthy highlights.

Axar Patel has also been included to bolster the spin department, joining Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, and Ravindra Jadeja. In terms of India's pace attack, with no Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah will lead alongside Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj.

Squad:

Rohit Sharma (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya (Vice-captain), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan.

There will be a press conference on Thursday, May 2 where skipper Rohit Sharma and BCCI head of selectors Ajit Agarkar will field some of the most pressing questions from the media and provide their responses.

The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 will begin on June 2 and India's campaign will begin in New York on June 5 against Ireland.