IPL stars to play key role as Hardik Pandya’s India T20I team transitions away from Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma: Report

With hopes of winning the World Test Championship (WTC) mace coming to an end, India are set to turn their attention to building their squads for the upcoming International Cricket Council (ICC) tournaments.

While the ODI World Cup that the country hosts later this year takes precedence, India also have one eye on the 2024 T20 World Cup.

India had crashed out in the Super 12 stage of the 2021 tournament and were knocked out in the semi-finals, being thrashed by 10 wickets by eventual champions England. Since the 2022 World Cup semi-finals, India have been led by Hardik Pandya in T20s, with captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli being seemingly phased out of the format.

According to PTI, the likes of Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma, who had impressive seasons in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL), could get chances with the Indian T20I squad in the near future.

Rinku earned plaudits for the stunning performances he put in as a finisher for Kolkata Knight Riders. He scored 474 runs at a strike rate of 149.52, taking KKR over the line or getting them close to victory from improbable positions on a number of occasions through the course of the season. Jitesh, who played for the Punjab Kings, scored 309 runs at a strike rate of 156.06.

Ruturaj Gaikwad returned to form and was key to CSK’s run to the title this season. Meanwhile Yashasvi Jaiswal could also be rewarded for his staggering performances for Rajasthan Royals. Jaiswal smashed 625 runs at a strike rate of 163.61 with five half centuries and one century. The likes of Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj could be rested considering their workload and the upcoming ODIs before the World Cup.

India’s next T20I assignment is a five-match series against the West Indies. The series will be the final part of their full tour of the Carribean which starts with a two-match Test series starting on July 12. The second Test will start on July 20 after which a three-match ODI series will be played from July 27 to August 1. The T20I series will start on August 3 and will be played till August 13.