The India cricket team’s preliminary squad for the T20 World Cup 2024 has been named. Discussions over the inclusion and exclusion of certain players have already been done, and with May 25 set as the final deadline to name the final squad, some changes can even be made.
19 players have been selected among the huge pool of cricketers present. Some have been taken on proven track records, others on their recent performances in the IPL 2024 season. So, let’s see how India’s alternate squad for the T20 World Cup 2024 would shape up, keeping IPL performances and form in mind.
India’s alternate T20 World Cup 2024 squad
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, KL Rahul (c & wk), Riyan Parag, Rajat Patidar. Tilak Varma, Shashank Singh, Nitish Reddy, Dinesh Karthik (wk), T Natarajan. Harpreet Brar, Sai Kishore, Varun Chakaravarthy, Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma.
Top Order
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, and KL Rahul have been the best top-order batters. Gaikwad currently holds the orange cap, has four fifties and one hundred, averages 63.62, and is striking at 146.68. Abhishek has scored just one fifty but is striking at 208.6, while Rahul has a healthy average (40.6) and strike rate (142.95) as well.
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Middle/lower middle-order
Riyan Parag, Rajat Patidar, Tilak Varma, Shashank Singh, and Dinesh Karthik have impressed with their striking and match-finishing abilities. All have crossed the 50-run mark at least twice in IPL 2024 and have proven their worth in the middle and death overs. Parag is currently striking at 159.14, Patidar at 175.83, Pant at 153.81, Shashank at 169.41, and Karthik at 195.52.
All-rounders
Nitish Reddy, Harpreet Brar, and Sai Kishore will be the three all-rounders. However, Abhishek and Parag can also roll their arms over. Nitish currently has just 3 wickets but is averaging 54.75 with the bat and striking at 154.22. Brar has 6 and Kishore has 7 wickets to their name, and they have a high strike rate but low usage while batting. Parag and Abhishek have bowled as well but haven’t been successful so far.
Bowlers
Four out-and-out bowlers have emerged so far. Varun Chakaravarthy is the main frontline spinner, with Brar and Kishore as the other two options, while T Natarajan, Khaleel Ahmed, and Sandeep Sharma are the pace bowling options. Natarajan is the purple cap holder with 15 wickets, while Khaleel and Chakaravarthy have 12 and 11 wickets, respectively. Sandeep has played just 5 matches and has 9 wickets.
How could India line up?
1. KL Rahul (c & wk)
2. Abhishek Sharma
3. Tilak Varma
4. Riyan Parag
5. Nitish Reddy
6. Shashank Singh
7. Dinesh Karthik (wk)
8. Harpreet Brar
9. T Natarajan
10. Ravi Bishnoi
11. Khaleel Ahmed
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