Definitely wanted four spinners, can’t plan squad around IPL: Skipper Rohit

MUMBAI: India captain Rohit Sharma on Thursday said the team management was crystal clear about picking as many as four spinners for the T20 World Cup in the Americas, asserting that IPL had very little role to play in deciding the final 15

India have picked four spinners and three pacers in the squad, a move that has attracted diverse views. Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal are the two wrist spinners while Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel are the all-rounders who bowl left-arm spin.

“I don’t want to go into details on this. I definitely wanted four spinners. We have played a lot of cricket there. The match starts at 10 am in the morning. There is technical aspect involved in this,” Rohit said in a press conference to address queries on the squad selection on Thursday. “The reason for picking four spinners is something I won’t reveal now. I definitely wanted our spinners. With two of them being all-rounders and two attacking options, it gives you balance. Based on opposition, we can decide who to play,” added the skipper.

The India squad was picked on Tuesday and Rohit said a lot of attention was given to the team’s needs in the middle overs. Shivam Dube was picked ahead of Rinku Singh and that too divided opinions.

“We’ve got to understand what the pitches will be like and the opposition composition. One thing we really looked at is our middle overs hitting. Our top order hitting has been alright, it has not been bad.

“There are other options there as well. We picked a guy based on his performance in the IPL and few games he played for India. There is no guarantee what our playing eleven will look like,” he said referring to Dube. The captain added that the he had figured out 70 to 80 per cent of the squad before the IPL.

“You sort of make the playing eleven in your mind and work around it. A lot of preparations and talks and guys playing games happen during the IPL, lot of them are playing the format for a while now “In IPL performances changes everyday. Anyone will come and score a hundred or to take five wickets. We knew 70-80 percent of our squad (before the IPL),” he said.

There is no replacement for what Pandya can do: Agarkar

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar on Wednesday defended the selection of the under-fire Hardik Pandya in India’s T20 World Cup squad, saying “there is no replacement for what he can do” when the flamboyant all-rounder is fit besides lending balance to the side.

Hardik last featured in an international match for India during the ODI World Cup match against Bangladesh in October 2023.

“Nothing was discussed on vice-captaincy.

He has got through all games so far for Mumbai Indians. We have month and a little bit for our first game. As long as he is fit, there is no replacement for what he can do,” Agarkar told reporters when asked about the all-rounder’s selection.

“He’s coming after a longish layoff. We are hoping he’s working on it. Especially the way he bowls, he’ll give (captain) Rohit a lot of balance and options.”

Agarkar also said KL Rahul missed out on a spot in India’s T20 World Cup squad because they were looking for “guys” who can bat in the middle, paving the way for Sanju Samson’s inclusion as the team’s second wicketkeeper.

“KL’s a terrific player, we all know that. The thing is we were looking for is guys who bat at the middle and KL bats at the top. We feel Sanju has the ability to come down the order. Rishabh is batting at 5, that was more the thinking. Two incredible players as well,” Agarkar said.