Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant, and KL Rahul are all contenders for the highly sought-after berth, according to India’s head coach Rahul Dravid, therefore the fight is set to heat up for the spot in the upcoming months. Notably, Ishan Kishan traveled to South Africa with India’s squad for all three formats of the previous tour; however, he withdrew due to mental exhaustion and took a plane to Dubai.
The selection of a reliable wicketkeeper batsman who can score quickly with the bat further down the order in addition to his rapid glovework behind the stumps is India’s biggest dilemma ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024. The 30-year-old Jitesh Sharma is presently the front-runner for the role. In his brief career of nine matches, he has had some solid cameos and done some respectable work with the gloves behind the stumps.
We have a good number of possibilities for keeping. In this series, we got to see a few guys, such Jitesh or Sanju. When you talk about Rahul, Ishan, Rishabh, and others are all involved. Following India’s exciting victory in the last Twenty20 International in Bengaluru, Dravid remarked, “We just have to see how things pan out over the course of the next few months before we can take a call what’s the best way to go.”
Significantly, it was widely reported that Ishan Kishan had been excluded from the Afghanistan T20I series due to disciplinary issues. Coach Dravid dispelled all of the rumors, stating that the cricket player, who was born in Patna, was not available for selection.
As Dhruv Jurel received his first call-up to the Indian team to play wicketkeeper, Ishan Kishan’s mystique only increased as he was left out of the Jharkhand Ranji team and didn’t even make the squad for the first two Test matches against England.
With some strong showings in the first half of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, Pant and Rahul may potentially make it into the World Cup roster. Since India’s humbling ten-wicket loss to England in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2022, Rahul has not been a member of the T20I team.
In 2024, Rishabh Pant is expected to return to the IPL.
Conversely, since his near-fatal vehicle accident on December 30, 2022, Pant has been undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. But there is a serious doubt about his fitness for wicketkeeping, which will be dispelled once he takes the field again in the 2024 Indian Premier League.
The selection committee will have a difficult time narrowing down the nation’s vast skill pool to the best 15-man roster with just five months till the T20 World Cup 2024.
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