T20 World Cup 2024: India to skip World Cup after terror threats? Rajeev Shukla reveals BCCI stance

Amid terror threats to ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 from the Pakistan-based terror group, the stance of the Board of Control for Cricket in India over India's participation in the tournament has been revealed by BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla.

The 2024 T20 World Cup will be co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States of America. The competition will start on June 1 and it is scheduled to end on June 29. A total of 20 teams will take part in the tournament and the matches will be played across nine venues. Six venues in the West Indies will be hosting the matches while in the USA, three venues have been finalized for World Cup.

On Sunday, May 5, a piece of shocking news broke out that the Caribbean islands have received terror threats from North Pakistan ahead of the World Cup. These threats forced the Cricket West Indies and International Cricket Council to come forward and speak openly on the matter.

In a joint statement, ICC and CWI stated that they have a "comprehensive and robust security plan" for the T20 World Cup 2024. The Trinidad & Tobago Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley also revealed that the security agencies were monitoring the situation.

The threats have led to concerns among the participating teams and on Monday, May 6, a BCCI official gave his verdict on the participation of the India National Cricket Team in the marquee tournament.

We will go according to the decision taken by the central government - Rajeev Shukla

Speaking to ANI, Rajeev Shukla said that they will make sure to provide the best security to their players, but the final decision on the participation of the Indian team in the World Cup will be taken by the central government.

“As far as threat is concerned, the responsibility of security lies with the security agencies of the country that is hosting the game. Every precaution will be taken. We will take whatever steps are necessary for the safety of the players and spectators. We will talk to the agencies responsible for carrying out the World Cup. We will go according to the decision taken by the central government. We are in touch with WI and USA Govts,” he said.

Meanwhile, the 15-man squad of the India National Cricket Team for the World Cup has already been announced. The Rohit Sharma-led squad features four spinners, including Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and Axar Patel. The BCCI selection committee has decided to add just three pacers - Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Mohammed Siraj - to the team keeping in mind the spin-friendly conditions in the West Indies and USA. 

In the batting department all the expected names feature, except Rinku Singh, who has been one of the top performers for India since making his debut in T20Is. Recently, Ajit Agarkar and Rohit Sharma addressed a press conference and they were asked about Rinku Singh's exclusion. Agarkar said that leaving out Rinku was the 'toughest decision' but they had to make it because of the combination they wanted.

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