VVS Laxman names India squad for T20 World Cup; MS Dhoni and Shikhar Dhawan excluded
Veterans MS Dhoni and Shikhar Dhawan were left out of the India squad picked by former cricketer VVS Laxman for the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year. Laxman’s 15-man squad also has no place for Sanju Samson either, with KL Rahul providing backup to Rishabh Pant with the gloves.
Having just about settled down after a roller-coaster year of cricket — which included the 50-over World Cup — the game has moved on to another year, with the ultimate prize in the shortest format up for grabs. Though India is ranked fifth by the ICC, the Men in Blue go into the tournament Down Under as one of the favourites.
Appearing on Star Sports, one of India’s finest Test batsmen — Laxman — opted not to pick one of India’s finest ever wicket-keeper and captain — Dhoni — for the final squad. While India has been testing out a few new options in some key slots, most of the core members pick themselves, including the likes of skipper Virat Kohli, his No.2 Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, a fully fit Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ravindra Jadeja, and Hardik Pandya, who are no-brainers.
This leaves several slots open for debate. While Shreyas Iyer and Deepak Chahar are two of the new brigade that has impressed most — and find themselves in Laxman’s squad — the opening slot, the wicket-keeper, the spinners, and backup options still remain. In choosing Rahul — over Shikhar Dhawan — to partner Rohit at the top, Laxman chose to address two areas with one player. Though he has significantly underperformed in T20Is, Laxman wants the management to continue backing young Pant. And given Rahul can keep wickets in case of an emergency, this means there is no room for Dhoni, who is yet to feature in the Indian Blue since the World Cup semi-final exit.
Manish Pandey and Shivam Dube will provide backup options, while both Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav will look after the spin department to complete the list. However, this meant excluding the likes of Washington Sundar, Krunal Pandya, and Navdeep Saini — all of who have played key roles in the format for India in recent times.
