Sanju Samson defeats KL Rahul to lead the India T20 World Cup squad, while Hardik Pandya is selected vice captain.

India has revealed their 15-person team for the June T20 World Cup, which will be held in the United States and the West Indies.

The Senior Selection Committee selected India’s 15-man team on Tuesday for the 2024 T20 World Cup, which will take place in the United States and the West Indies beginning in June.

After nearly fifteen months, Rishabh Pant has returned to the Indian side, and Sanju Samson has defeated KL Rahul in the competition for the second wicket-keeper position. The bowler-keeper has not played cricket since his terrifying vehicle accident in December 2022.

With 385 runs and a strike-rate of 161.09 so far in this IPL, Samson has looked like a completely different T20 hitter. Despite his earlier swings in form, Samson has become more reliable at the plate, and with no power hitters on the team, his presence could help India in the middle order.

Despite his recent poor record, all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who took over the Mumbai Indians’ leadership in the upcoming IPL, was kept as vice captain.

However, big-hitter Rinku Singh of the Kolkata Knight Riders and standby Shubman Gill, who is struggling in the Indian Premier League as captain of the Gujarat Titans, were included in the bench.

At the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, India will play their opening World Cup match against Ireland on June 5. Then, on June 9, they will play their main match versus Pakistan at the same location. India will next play on June 12 in the USA and on June 15 in Canada.

Squad

Rohit Sharma (Captain), Hardik Pandya (Vice Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj.

Reserves

Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan

India’s fixtures for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 (Group A matches)