Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag has named his his Indian playing XI for the T20 World Cup 2024 which is scheduled in the West Indies and USA from June 1 to 29.
While speaking on the Club Praire Podcast alongside Adam Gilchrist, Sehwag didn't include all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who is currently leading Mumbai Indians in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL).
The legendary batter clarified that Hardik will secure a spot in the 15-member squad but decided not to include him in his starting XI.
Pandya has struggled with both bat and ball in IPL 2024 since his move to Mumbai. He has faced boos from fans both at home and away and has appeared unsettled while batting and bowling.
Sehwag chose Shivam Dube over Pandya and bolstered the Indian team with some late-order firepower.
He also selected Rishabh Pant as the wicketkeeper for the team, ahead of Jitesh Sharma, Sanju Samson, and Ishan Kishan, who have represented India in the past year.
Sehwag's spin bowling unit comprises only Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav, omitting Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal, both of whom have impressed in IPL 2024.
There was one more surprise in Sehwag's team where he didn't name regular left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh and instead opted for right-arm medium pacer Sandeep Sharma.
Virender Sehwag's Playing XI for T20 World Cup
Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Rinku Singh or Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Sandeep Sharma.
India is expected to announce the 15-member T20 World Cup squad around 28th April.
