Legendary England bowler Stuart Broad has backed the selection of Rishabh Pant in the Indian squad as the countdown to the tournament begins. The T20 World Cup is all set to start on June 1 in the USA and the West Indies as national boards are all set to announce their squads. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is also likely to announce the T20 World Cup squad by the end of the month or in the first week of May. While there is still confirmation on who will travel with the squad, it is reported that the selectors are already keeping a close eye on Pant while Virat Kohli is also under the radar of the committee.
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Broad backs Pant for the T20 World Cup
“The selection for the Indian team is up in the air a little bit. You have some players pending in that team. Rishabh Pant’s probably the one on whom there’s a lot of discussion about. There was a shot I saw him play against KKR, a no-look flick over deep square leg for six. The moment he played that shot, I thought, he has got to be in that T20 World Cup squad. He’s ready. He’s good to go,” Broad said on Star Sports.
Pant has not played international cricket since his near-fatal accident in December 2022 in a car crash. He last represented India in the Test series against Bangladesh and has since been on the treatment table. He missed the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia in 2023, IPL 2023 and the ODI World Cup in India. So far in IPL 2024, Pant has played seven matches and scored 210 runs at an average of 35.
Pant is not the only player in contention for a place in the World Cup team with out-of-favour Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul and Dinesh Karthik also in contention. Rahul’s selection will be a key factor considering he has not been the first choice in recent months while Ishan has been on the receiving end of selectors’ criticism for pulling out of the South Africa tour and the Ranji Trophy season.
Dinesh Karthik a wildcard?
One of the names that is still attracting the selectors is Dinesh Karthik, as he ages like a fine wine. Karthik has once again exploded onto the scene this season despite Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s poor form. He played a valiant 83-run knock against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in just 35 balls to show his skills as a pitch-hitter at the age of 38. He was interestingly included in the India squad for the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.
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