Reports: Ajit Agarkar, Rohit Sharma to finalise T20 World Cup squad on April 28

Rohit Sharma and Ajit Agarkar. (Photo Source: Disney+Hotstar)

BCCI’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar is likely to meet skipper Rohit Sharma on April 28 to finalise the squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. As per reports, after the match of the ongoing Indian Premier League 2024 between Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians, the supremos of Indian cricket are likely to discuss the potential candidates and the provisional squad will be announced on the same day or a day later, with the cut-off date being on May 1.

As things stand, the wicketkeeper’s spot is a matter of discussion. Jitesh Sharma who was leading the race has failed to deliver in the ongoing edition of IPL 2024, while the likes of Sanju Samson, Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant have been incredible. With Virat and Rohit likely to open the innings with the bat, the number four spot is up for grabs, which is the most important thing that needs to be discussed. 

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The other important part of the discussion would be the pace bowling unit. Jasprit Bumrah has sealed his spot in the squad but Mohammed Siraj, who was expected to be the second pacer, has failed miserably in IPL 2024. It needs to be seen if the selectors and the team management back Siraj for the T20 World Cup or trust the likes of Arshdeep Singh, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav, Vaibhav Arora or Khaleel Ahmed for the mega tournament.

As per Dainik Jagran, Rohit and Agarkar will also talk about Yuzvendra Chahal, who wasn’t included in BCCI’s central contract earlier in the year. However, the leg-spinner has done a commendable job in the IPL so far, picking up 12 wickets in seven matches at an average of 18.08. Along with him, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi remain favourites as the specialist spinners.

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Hardik Pandya’s form is also a matter of discussion. The newly appointed Mumbai Indians captain has failed to impress in IPL 2024 and there’s a lot of pressure on him at the moment. However, with India not having enough pace-bowling all-rounders available for selection, Pandya might just make it into the 15-member squad. The potential prospects like Shivam Dube, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rinku Singh will also be discussed during the meet.