The excitement of the fans finally ended as India announced their squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup. The much awaited news as usual did the job of dividing fanbases on whether is it a good side or not. And going with only 8 players who played the last T20 World Cup, and having a few fresh faces, the selection committee definitely raised a few eyebrows with their bold moves. The squad of 15 surprisingly excludes the likes of Shubhman Gill and KL Rahul who have been the constant members of the squad for ICC tournaments. Meanwhile the inclusion of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube was awaited and rejoiced by the fans.

Now if one has to carefully look at the pros and cons of the squad, those are pretty clear. The Agarkar led selection committee has taken bold steps to exclude KL Rahul and Shubhman Gill from the squad. While Gill still finds a place in the reserves, Rahul is out of the equation completely. Rahul, who is a fine performer and an integral part of the squad for tests and ODI has failed to maintain the strike rate in T20s. Hence his omission does make sense. Specifically knowing that Rishabh Pant is just back from injury and Sanju Samson has somehow failed to make it to the international stage makes this selection a matter of debate.

While one might argue on this part, there won't be any debates when it comes to the inclusion of Chahal and Bumrah. Jasprit Bumrah is certainly the best bowler in world, and his exclusion in the previous world cup was due to his injury, and now he is back, it was only a matter of time before he comes back. His return was a sure thing, but Chahal's was not. And gladly , the team realised the importance of the most successful bowler in IPL. Chahal, who last played in 2019 World Cup, had also lost his place in the squad for even bilateral series. And now seeing him back regains the faith in selection committee. Him bowling with Kuldeep Yadav is certainly a sight for Indians to watch.

Another player whose inclusion has made the nation happy is Shivam Dube. He is in purple vein of form, and looks set to dominate the world stage. Although Pandya will still be required as Dube lacks in bowling aspect which Pandya fulfils. Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel are complimentary to each other and play similar roles. And hence, out of Dube and Pandya only one will play, and the same with Axar and Jadeja. Jaiswal 's inclusion is not a surprise owing to what he possesses. Arshdeep and Siraj are a no brainer and will be required for the team. The reserves include Gill, the star in Rinku Singh, a shock in the form of Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan. All these, along with the best batter in the world Virat Kohli, and the captain Rohit Sharma would make a good team.

Although there is a difference in a good team and the best team, the committee has still managed to tick all the boxes. A right left opening combination, with a world class one down, 360 degree 2nd down, 2 wicket keepers, 2 pace bowling all rounders, 2 left arm orthodox spinners who can hit long sixes, a chinaman, a leg spinner and 3 pacers make a good unit. If only one change could've done is having someone like Shami, but his injury hasn't allowed him to be a part of the squad. But an injury to any one pacer, or any one pace or spin allrounders will still hamper the situation of the team. Also a specialist finisher seems to be missing. The reserves still give a finisher in the form of Rinku, but a pace bowling all rounder reserve is still missing. But if no one gets injured, the squad looks balanced in every department and with a combination of youth and experience.

Having said that, some better decisions which could've been made were the inclusion of Dinesh Karthik and Ruturaj Gaikwad over Rishabh Pant/Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Dinesh Karthik is a proven finisher, and his experience with his form would've been extremely vital for the team playing in the Carribbean and United States. And the in-form Ruturaj Gaikwad 's inclusion would've meant a technically correct batter would've opened along with the Indian skipper. Specifically knowing the amount of runs Rutu is scoring with the added pressure of captaincy, it was a obvious choice to have him in the squad. Its surprising to not have the Asian Gold Medalist captain in the World Cup. And if not in the main squad, both of them should've been there in the reserves.

All in all, the squad looks good and balanced, but it could've been even better had it taken care of some players. Utilising the form of these players could have done better for the nation. And although by taking bold decisions like including Shivam Dube and Yashasvi Jaiswal, the panel has done a good job, the exclusion of Karthik, Ruturaj and Gaikwad could've made the squad a perfect one out of the available options. Slightly it looks like the Agarkar led panel has favoured the Mumbai lobby by including Jaiswal and Dubey, with Mumbai's Rohit and Surya already there. But nevertheless, this team looks good to go. And tomorrow, Ajit Agarkar and Rohit Sharma will surely give the clarification for the same, the similar way they did before Asia Cup and World Cup. And hopefully, the selected team does the job of breaking India's jinx of ICC tournaments since 2013.