T20 World Cup 2024: Irfan Pathan opens up on India's squad selection for the mega event

Irfan Pathan (Pic: File Pic)

The Indian cricket team is yet to announce their 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup 2024. Board of Control for Cricket in India's secretary Jay Shah previously declared that Rohit Sharma will be in charge of the "Men in Blue" ahead of the global showpiece.

The T20 World Cup 2024 is all set to kick in from June and will be held in the USA and the West Indies.

As the Indian players have been showing their tremendous skills in the ongoing IPL 2024, former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan opened up on the selection of India's squad for the T20 World Cup 2024.

Also Read: T20 World Cup 2024: The race behind the stumps!

Following the performances of Indian players in the IPL 2024, Pathan said, "Just because some players are performing well in the IPL, it doesn't mean they should automatically be selected. In the IPL, there are always one or two uncapped bowlers who can be easily smacked due to small grounds and flat pitches."

Pathan also expressed his views about international cricket's situation. "However, international cricket is a different beast altogether. You'll have five bowlers, each with a significant number of matches under their belt before entering the World Cup, bringing in tons of experience. You'll be up against top-quality bowlers like Mitchell Starc. While Starc's performance in the IPL may differ, you'll still be facing top-quality bowlers."

Following the discussions of whether the youngsters should be picked for the World Cup, Pathan said, "Let's rewind to 2007. This is a myth that India won that World Cup with a young team. No, boss, we had experience. Harbhajan Singh had six years of experience. Virender Sehwag had six years of experience. Yuvraj Singh had five to six years of experience. I had four years of experience. Mahendra Singh Dhoni had four to five years of experience, he debuted in 2004."

Also Read: Mumbai grasp at straws

"About 90% of the squad had proper three to six years of experience. And then we went into the World Cup, and we won the World Cup. A lot of people said the otherwise, that we won the World Cup with a young team. Yes, age-wise we were young, but experienced", added Pathan during the Star Sports Press Room Show.

The fight for the wicketkeeper's spot in the mega event will also be a question for the Indian Cricket team as Dinesh Karthik, KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan and Rishabh Pant are in the contention list.