Sanjay Manjrekar omits Virat Kohli from his India's T20 World Cup 2024 squad, selects Krunal instead of Hardik Pandya

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar unveiled his Men in Blue's squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup and made some debatable choices. Manjrekar has omitted Virat Kohli from his squad and has chosen Krunal Pandya instead of his brother Hardik.

Kohli, who is the leading run-getter in T20 World Cups, has come under scrutiny due to his strike rate in IPL 2024 despite having the most runs. Nevertheless, the 35-year-old has delivered several match-winning performances for India in T20 World Cups, notably hammering an unbeaten 82 against Pakistan two years ago at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) to help India chase down 160 after being 32-4.

Among wicketkeepers, the cricketer-turned-commentator chose KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, and Rishabh Pant. There was no spot for Shubman Gill either, while Ravindra Jadeja and Krunal Pandya occupy the all-rounders' spots despite the latter not playing for India since 2021. Yuzvendra Chahal, who is the highest wicket-taker in IPL history, and Kuldeep Yadav are the specialist spinners.

Sanjay Manjrekar's squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Avesh Khan, Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav, Krunal Pandya.

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Sanjay Manjrekar selects two uncapped pacers in the T20 World Cup squad

Harshit Rana celebrates a wicket. (Credits: Twitter)

While Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj were the obvious picks, Manjrekar has also selected uncapped pacers in Harshit Rana and Mayank Yadav. Rana, who is playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders, has shown his prowess across phases of the innings.

Yadav made his IPL debut only this year and won the Player of the Match in his first appearance for the Lucknow Super Giants. The right-arm speedster has impressed one and all with his pace and has touched speeds almost north of 160 clicks.

Avesh Khan, who has also impressed in phases in IPL 2024, has been selected as the fifth pacer. India are clubbed with Pakistan, Canada, USA, and Ireland in the showpiece event.