Following India’s semi-final exit in the T20 World Cup 2022 – and in quite a brutal way it was – questions now remain on the future of India’s top three: captain Rohit Sharma, vice-captain KL Rahul, and senior batter Virat Kohli.
For lawyer and politician Abhishek Singhvi, all three should be dropped and selectors should move toward younger and more white-ball specialist players. To start from the top, Singhvi believes the selectors should soon name Hardik Pandya as the new T20I captain, and not KL Rahul, who is at present the incumbent to take Sharma’s job as he was the deputy.
For the upcoming T20I series in New Zealand, both Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul have been given a rest with Hardik Pandya named the captain and Rishabh Pant as his deputy. So we will have to wait for more to learn about the selectors’ thoughts on the player to replace Sharma as the captain for it is unlikely to see Sharma playing in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Abhishek Singhvi, who is a member of the Indian National Congress and a current Member of the Parliament of India representing West Bengal in the Rajya Sabha, Virat Kohli should also move away from T20Is despite finishing as the leading run-scorer in the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. Kohli recently turned 34, and many feel he should put his energies and focus into ODIs and Test cricket.
While naming his India T20I squad which should be tasked with preparing for the 2024 T20 World Cup, Singhvi also named Prithvi Shaw, who has surprisingly been omitted by the selectors despite his terrific domestic and IPL performances. Rishabh Pant might just be the new opener in the T20I team, Singhvi reckons.
It is also now the time for Sanju Samson to finally step up and be groomed in a long-term middle-order role with Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya around him.
In the all-rounder department, Singhvi went with Rahul Tewatia, who also brings in left-handedness, and Deepak Hooda to support Pandya.
Abhishek Singhvi now wishes for Umran Malik to play more matches for India and be made a crucial component by 2024. Other than Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh, the other pacer in this squad is left-armer Khaleel Ahmed. Three wrist spinners – Chahal, Bishnoi, and Kuldeep – are in Abhishek Singhvi’s potential squad.
Abhishek Singhvi picks his probable squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup:
— Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) November 15, 2022
