The reasoning behind Rohit Sharma’s decision to choose Axar Patel over R Ashwin in the Twenty20 World Cup “We Talked About a Lot”
The reasoning for the selection of four spinners in the Indian side for the T20 World Cup was expounded upon by skipper Rohit Sharma. India chose Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja as all-rounders and two specialist spinners in Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. Experts disagreed on the decision, believing India might have acquired a pacer instead of a spinner. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Arshdeep Singh make up India’s pace attack for the Twenty20 World Cup, while all-round fast bowlers Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube complete the group.
While matches are slated for the morning, Rohit said that he wanted four spinners, presumably implying that spin would be available during day games. Other than that, he did not provide much insight about the team’s approach.
“I don’t want to go into too much detail because I am sure opposition captains will listen to this,” he said. We are aware of the situation, therefore I had hoped for more spinners. The start time of the matches is 10.30 a.m. This involves a technological component.
“With Hardik present, you have the balance. I wanted four spinners and three seamers. You also have balance in the spin department with two attacking spinners, since two of the spinners are all-round players. We may choose our playing companions based on the makeup of the opponent.”
Additionally, Rohit disclosed the rationale for choosing Axar Patel over R Ashwin, citing Ashwin’s lack of recent T20I format experience.
“Unfortunately, Washy [Washington Sundar] hasn’t been playing much recently, so we spoke about it a lot. Then there was only Ash and Axar. Ash hasn’t recently played the format. When Axar participated in the five matches against Australia, he was playing well. He’s been bowling well, and if we want to try something different, we have that left-handed batsman option in the middle.”
In the meantime, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sanju Samson, and Shivam Dube were rewarded for their exceptional IPL 2024 performances by being included in the India squad for the T20 World Cup. However, the cricket community was taken aback by Rinku Singh’s exclusion, given the batter’s exceptional pre-tournament form.
Ajit Agarkar, the chief selector, provided information on Rinku’s exclusion from the squad, stating that Rinku was left out because he did not fit with the current lineup.
“It [Rinku Singh’s omission from the first 15] is probably the toughest thing we have had to discuss,” Agarkar said.
“Neither he nor Shubman Gill, for that matter, has done anything illegal. Combinations are key. To provide Rohit additional alternatives, a pair of wrist spinners are added. It’s simply bad luck. The fact that he is in the reserves indicates how close he was to making the 15.However, you may only choose 15 members for the team at the conclusion of the day.”
