As the Rohit Sharma-led Team India prepares for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, former Indian cricketer and renowned broadcaster Sanjay Manjrekar has pointed out a key weakness for the Men in Blue, which might pull the team back in their campaign. India will kickstart their run in the T20 World Cup on June 5 against Ireland in New York.
One of the biggest challenges for Team India, in the upcoming World Cup, is the management of all-rounders. Though the team has the likes of Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube as the specialist all-rounders, there is some degree of uncertainty around both of them in the bowling department.
Shivam Dube, though, has often impressed with his batting skills in the IPL 2024 but hasn’t bowled enough during the tournament. In fact, CSK used him as an impact substitute and didn’t give him enough time to bowl during the season.
Hardik Pandya, the vice-captain of the side, though has bowled consistently during the IPL 2024 for MI, but he didn’t seem to be as potent as he used to be. The all-rounder scalped 11 wickets in 14 outings at an expensive economy of 10.75.
“Lack of all-rounders is a bit of a weakness for Team India. If you look at Australia, their batters like Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, and Cameron Green can bowl four overs in a match,” said Sanjay Manjrekar at Star Sports Press Room.
The renowned commentator reckons that the hard-hitting all-rounder in the rank pushed Team India to bring Shivam Dube into the T20 World Cup 2024 squad.
“I think that’s why the Indian team has brought Shivam Dube into the side to mitigate the limitations that come with a lack of all-rounders,” he added.
“Yes, it’s a small weakness, and now with the impact substitute rule in the IPL, this problem might increase. We currently rely on specialist bowlers and batters, but in this World Cup, the team will need to make some adjustments, and someone will have to bowl at least two to three overs in a match,” he further said.
The presence of Hardik Pandya will be crucial for India’s plans in the T20 World Cup 2024. If the all-rounder successfully delivers four overs with a decent economy rate, he can be India’s real game-changer.
Below is Team India’s Squad and Schedule for the T20 World Cup 2024:
India’s Schedule for T20 World Cup 2024
- India vs Ireland – June 5 – New York
- India vs Pakistan – June 9 – New York
- USA vs India – June 12 – New York
- India vs Canada – June 15 – Lauderhill
India’s Squad for T20 World Cup 2024
Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya (Vice-captain), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
