Ajit Agarkar says of KL Rahul’s absence from the T20 World Cup squad, “We were mainly looking for middle-order options.”

The Indian team for the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup was revealed on April 30. Who would make the cut was a hot topic of discussion. Although everyone was expecting this team, KL Rahul’s omission was still a contentious issue. Rahul’s declining strike rate put him under scrutiny. He received harsh criticism for his poor strike rate during the 2023 World Cup finals. The BCCI Chief Selector gave a perspective and addressed the debate on Thursday.

It had been the wicketkeeper batter’s wish to be accepted as the correct middle-order batsman. It was also his involvement in the 2023 World Cup. However, he has been the Indian Premier League 2024 opening player for the Lucknow Super Giants. The squad was fighting for a middle-order hitter, according to Ajit Agarkar, who emphasized the same point. From that perspective, Rishabh Pant was the go-to player, and Sanju Samson has established himself as a reliable weapon.

Also read: Ajit Agarkar explains why Kohli was chosen for the T20 World Cup.

“KL Rahul has been the IPL’s opener. The majority of our search was for middle-order solutions. Therefore, we thought Samson and Pant would be more appropriate for that. In the lineup, Samson can bat wherever. Therefore, it didn’t matter who was superior; it just mattered what we needed,” Agarkar stated during the press conference.

When the strike rate lies, KL Rahul’s manifestation yields.

Making a strong case for himself in the IPL 2024 was the Karnataka batter. In addition to opening the batting with Quinton de Kock, he was able to sustain the innings. Many people praised his 82 runs in 53 balls against the Chennai Super Kings, which ended up being the winning score. However, he has struggled with his 144 strike rate in the IPL 2024. The strike rates of Pant and Samson, his rivals, are 158 and 161, respectively. They’ve done it while batting in the middle order, which makes matters worse.