T20 World Cup 2024: Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya IGNORED as Sourav Ganguly names two certain selections

Delhi Capitals' (DC) Director of Cricket, Sourav Ganguly, stated that left-arm spinner Axar Patel has cemented his place in the Indian squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024. He has left out Virat Kohli as a certainty in the Indian squad.

Sourav Ganguly highlighted Axar Patel's batting prowess, describing him as a talented and gifted all-rounder.

India's selectors will meet Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid this week to finalize the squad for the T20 World Cup, scheduled for June in the West Indies and the USA. While some players have secured their spots, there's considerable deliberation surrounding the remaining positions.

The selection of the spin-bowling all-rounder is a key topic for India's T20 World Cup squad. Ravindra Jadeja appears to be the favorite, but Axar Patel is also in contention. There is a possibility of both left-arm spinners making it into the squad for the upcoming ICC tournament.

Rishabh Pant And Axar Patel Are Certainties - Sourav Ganguly

Speaking ahead of the match against the Mumbai Indians (MI), Sourav Ganguly expressed confidence in the inclusion of Rishabh Pant and Axar Patel in the Indian team. Ganguly mentioned Rohit Sharma's preference for a deep-batting lineup.

"Axar, is a certainty. Both Rishabh and Axar are certainties for me at the T20 World Cup. The way things are going in T20, Rohit will want someone to come at No. 8 and bat, give those 15-20 runs which Axar can easily do, and if he needs someone to go and smack spinners, Axar can do that as well. That's the advantage with Jadeja and Axar, they are so talented and gifted," Ganguly said.

Axar Patel has scored 123 runs in 7 innings at an average of 24.60 and a strike rate of 132.26. His standout performance came against the Gujarat Titans when he was promoted to No. 3. He scored 66 runs off 43 balls, including five boundaries and four sixes, as DC posted 224 runs. He has taken seven wickets at an average of 31.29 and an impressive economy rate of 7.06.

He's A Tremendous Cricketer - Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly highlighted Axar Patel's capacity to perform under pressure in Test matches. He noted that Patel requires some additional time to settle and continue scoring runs in T20s. Ganguly described the 30-year-old as a very gifted cricketer.

"You should have the ability to strike the ball. You don't have to have time for technique in T20 cricket. But your basics should be there and he's always had that. When you see his batting in Tests for India, he gets runs under pressure on turning pitches."

"He has the ability to bat but in T20 you need the ability to strike and he does that when he's pushed up and he gets a little more time to settle and keep hitting. He's a tremendous cricketer -- bats, bowls, fields. He has the ability to bat and can bat in T20 cricket. He is a very gifted cricketer," Ganguly further added.

The Gujarat-born cricketer has represented India in 52 matches in the short format of the game. He has scored 361 runs at an average of 19.0 and an impressive strike rate of 144.4. He has also taken 49 wickets at a decent economy rate of 7.27.

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