No Place For Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul? Venkatesh Prasad Sends Strong T20 World Cup Message

Not much time is left before the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) finalises the India squad for the T20 World Cup 2024. There remains a debate over a number of players in the team, including the talismanic Rohit Shrama. The wicket-keeper’s spot is also wide open, with a number of players competing for the spot. Former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad, however, has a concrete idea about the batting unit he wishes to see in the Indian team.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Prasad advocated the inclusion of lesser-experienced stars like Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, and Suryakumar Yadav while also asserting the importance of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the team. It’s only the wicket-keeper’s spot that Prasad isn’t clear about.

“Shivam Dube for his striking ability against spinners, Surya for being the best T20 international batter and Rinku Singh for his exceptional finishing ability. It will be great if India finds a way to have these 3 in the 11 in the T20 WC. With Virat and Rohit, this will leave a spot for just a keeper batsman. Interesting to see how it pans out,” he posted on social media.

Shivam Dube for his striking ability against spinners, Surya for being the best T20 international batter and Rinku Singh for his exceptional finishing ability. It will be great if India finds a way to have these 3 in the 11 in the T20 WC. With Virat and Rohit , this will leave…

— Venkatesh Prasad (@venkateshprasad) April 8, 2024

It’s interesting to see that Prasad didn’t mention the names of Hardik Pandya, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul in the batting unit.

The three veterans of the game haven’t quite managed to impress with the bat in the ongoing IPL 2024. Their poor form with the bat might be the reason behind Prasad’s lack of trust in them.

When it comes to Dube, Surya, and Rinku, fair to say that the trio’s expertise lies in T20 cricket. They have impressed many with their batting performances in the shortest format of the game. Their form and ability could be key to India’s hopes at the T20 World Cup this year.