Ringside view by Tushar Bhaduri: Selectors face tough task to pick World Cup squad

‘Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.’

There are no guarantees in top-level sport. But it goes without saying that if one doesn’t learn from the past, the chances of success in the future diminish greatly.

The T20 World Cup will immediately follow the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season. A lot of the interest around the IPL is centred around who will get on the plane to the Caribbean and the United States later in the summer. What significance does that leave for the IPL as a tournament in its own right is a discussion for another day.

The national selectors will finalise the World Cup squad in a few days, and performances in the IPL are bound to have an impact on their choices, even though there may be some disparity between the level of cricket in the 10-team franchise league and what one is expected to face against the top international teams at a marquee ICC event.

There are certain non-negotiables, or certainties, in selection if one goes by what is being speculated. Rohit Sharma will be leading the team and Virat Kohli’s spot is confirmed, even though both didn’t play any T20 Internationals between the last World Cup in the format in late 2022 and the last series India played in January this year.

Kohli is the current leading scorer in the IPL, but his team is rooted to the bottom of the points table after only one win in seven games. Rohit has also been among the runs, but his team is also languishing in the bottom half. But the selectors have made the call to have him as the captain, which is understandable based on how well he led the team in the 50-over World Cup six months ago.

But with two places in the batting order set in stone and Suryakumar Yadav – the No.1 batsman in the format confirmed to return to the line-up after recovering from injury – the jostling for the remaining spots becomes even more intense. There have been several players who have performed with distinction for India when the two senior statesmen were away. What happens to the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Tilak Varma who have impressed in T20I colours over the last 18 months?

Then there are the likes of Riyan Parag, Abhishek Sharma, Shashank Singh, and Ashutosh Sharma, who haven’t played for the country yet but have caught the eye this IPL. Sanju Samson may not have set the international stage on fire, but has been in rich form of late and can also keep wicket. The likes of KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, and Dinesh Karthik also come into the picture as options behind the stumps.

As far as all-rounders go, the selectors seem to be betting on Hardik Pandya again, despite the Mumbai Indians captain not having a great time on and off the field. Ravindra Jadeja seems to be a banker as the spin-bowling all-rounder.

Courage vs conservatism

The point being made here is that with so much talent to choose from, most of whom are capable of playing according to the modern T20 template – where the onus is more on strike rates rather than batting averages – several deserving candidates will be left disappointed once the squad is announced. India has gone with Kohli and Rohit as their main players for the last few T20 World Cups without getting the desired results. The playbook of getting one’s eye in, playing a long innings while others bat aggressively around them before a final explosion seems antiquated.

In the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal, India huffed and puffed to 168/6, a total overhauled by England in 16 overs without the loss of a wicket. Alex Hales and Jos Buttler gave a glimpse of how the modern version of the format had to be played, and to be fair, India seemed to have learned the lessons with young dynamic batsmen showing a no-fear approach and targeting a benchmark score of 200 from 20 overs and chasing lower targets with overs to spare. But as a big ICC event approached, the selectors seem to have leaned on the conservative side.

India’s only T20 world title came when the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sourav Ganguly opted out saying it was a youngster’s format. So as long as the likes of Kohli and Rohit don’t do something similar – and the seriousness with which they approach the IPL signifying they won’t – the selectors would have to go with them.

Going by the Indian batting talent on display in the IPL, one can field three Indian teams in the upcoming World Cup. The bigger question is the combination of players to get the optimum result.

The problem on the bowling front is quite the opposite. Even if Kuldeep Yadav and Jadeja could take care of the spin-bowling duties, with the likes of Ravi Bishnoi or Yuzvendra Chahal (or even Axar Patel) providing solid options, the pace-bowling stocks seem depleted with Mohammed Shami out injured and Mohammed Siraj woefully out of form.

Jasprit Bumrah is bowling probably better than ever, but as Mumbai Indians’ recent travails show, if the opposition manage to play him out without taking too many risks, the rest of the bowling may not hold too much threat.

Mayank Yadav’s express pace had everyone excited before he got injured. But even if fit, taking him to a World Cup would be a big punt.

It leaves India with options such as Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, and Shardul Thakur, none of whom will give opposition teams sleepless nights. Whether the selectors go for them or choose someone with extra pace remains to be seen. Either way, pace bowling resources seem nowhere as rich as they were in the 50-over showpiece event just a few months ago. Those making the decisions have an unenviable task.