T20 World Cup 2024: "Shubman Gill finds place even if he fails in Test, ODIs and T20s" - Former selector accuses BCCI of 'favoritism'

Former India opener Krishnamachari Srikkanth criticized the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for excluding Ruturaj Gaikwad from the squad for the T20 World Cup 2024. Krishnamachari Srikkanth accused the selection committee of 'favoritism' regarding Shubman Gill's inclusion.

On April 30, the BCCI announced the 15-member Indian squad, including reserve players, for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA in June. Ruturaj Gaikwad was omitted from both the main squad and the reserves despite his impressive performance in the IPL 2024.

Ruturaj Gaikwad is currently the leading run-getter in the ongoing tournament, surpassing Virat Kohli in a recent match against Punjab Kings. The CSK captain has scored 509 runs in 10 matches at an average of 63.62 and a strike rate of 146.68. He has smashed a century and four half-centuries.

Shubman Gill Is Totally Out Of Form - Krishnamachari Srikkanth

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Krishnamachari Srikkanth criticized the BCCI's decision to exclude Ruturaj Gaikwad. Srikkanth questioned Shubman Gill's continuous selection despite his struggles across formats.

"Shubman Gill is totally out of form, but why he's selected in the team. There's no doubt that Ruturaj Gaikwad deserves a place. He scored more than 500 runs in 17 innings. Also, he scored a century against Australia. Shubman Gill is the selectors' delight. He gets chance even if he fails. He finds place even if he fails in Test, ODIs and T20s.There's too much of favoritism in selection. The team selection is all about favoritism," Srikkanth said.

Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Virat Kohli have been selected as top-order batters for the upcoming tournament. Shubman Gill has been named among the reserves. Rohit Sharma (315), Yashasvi Jaiswal (249), and Shubman Gill (320) have scored fewer runs than Ruturaj Gaikwad in the T20 tournament.

KL Rahul Dropped From India's Squad For T20 World Cup

KL Rahul, who was India's first-choice wicketkeeper-batter in the 2023 ODI World Cup, has been left out of the squad. Shreyas Iyer, the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), has not secured a spot. Rajasthan Royals (RR) batter Riyan Parag has also been overlooked for selection.

CSK all-rounder Shivam Dube secured a place in the World Cup squad following his impressive batting displays. Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson has been named in the squad. Rishabh Pant, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Hardik Pandya have also been recalled to the World Cup squad.

India schedule for the T20 World Cup 2024

India's T20 World Cup Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Mohammed Siraj.

Also read: PBKS vs CSK: Punjab Kings equal Mumbai Indians' massive record against Chennai Super Kings in IPL history