Irfan Pathan picks his 15-man Indian squad 15 for 2024 T20 World Cup, leaves out Sanju Samson

Irfan Pathan has picked his preferred 15-man squad for India's 2024 T20 World Cup campaign. It was largely on the expected lines, considering recent reports and players' form in the IPL, with a few interesting calls.

The squad had four probable openers in Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli, already making it batting-heavy. Pathan went with Rishabh Pant as his only wicketkeeper, which is rare for any team in big competitions.

Pant made a comeback after almost 18 months in IPL 2024. He has kept well and scored 254 runs in eight matches at an average of 36.29 and a strike rate of 150.30 but his power-hitting game has often looked off the boil.

The extra batter has come at the cost of the second wicketkeeper, which could have been either the in-form Sanju Samson or Jitesh Sharma, who took that position in a few international matches before the IPL.

Pathan's 15-man squad included three all-rounders - Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, and Ravindra Jadeja. While Dube has been in brilliant form in IPL 2024, specifically in the middle overs against spinners, Pandya and Jadeja have struggled.

The former cricketer picked both wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, both of whom are in the race for the Purple Cap, to go alongside three fast bowlers in Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Arshdeep Singh.

As with the all-rounders, Siraj and Arshdeep's hot-and-cold form in the IPL would be a big concern for India. Unless one of the two finds some consistency in the coming days, at least one pacer's spot might remain up for grabs.

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Ifran Pathan's India 15 for the 2024 T20 World Cup

Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (WK), Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh and Shubman Gill.