T20 World Cup: England legend backs Rishabh Pant’s inclusion, says ‘he has got to be in that squad’

Legendary England bowler Stuart Broad has backed the selection of Rishabh Pant in the Indian squad as the countdown to the tournament begins. The T20 World Cup is all set to start on June 1 in the USA and the West Indies as national boards are all set to announce their squads. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)is also likely toannounce the T20 World Cup squad by the end of the month or in the first week of May. While there is still confirmation on who will travel with thesquad, itis reportedthat the selectors are already keeping a close eye onPantwhile Virat Kohli is also under theradar of the committee.

Broad backs Pant for the T20 World Cup

"The selection for the Indian team is up in the air a little bit. You have some players pending in that team.RishabhPant'sprobably the one on whomthere'sa lot of discussion about. There was a shot I saw him play against KKR, a no-look flick over deep square leg for six.The moment he played that shot, I thought, he has got to be in that T20 World Cup squad.He'sready.He'sgood to go,"Broad said on Star Sports.

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Pant has not played international cricket since his near-fatal accident in December 2022 in a car crash. He last represented India in the Test series against Bangladesh and has since been on the treatment table.He missed the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia in 2023, IPL 2023and the ODI World Cup in India.So far in IPL 2024, Pant has played seven matches and scored 210 runs at an average of 35.

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Pant is not the only player in contention for a place in the World Cup teamwithout-of-favour Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul and Dinesh Karthik also in contention.Rahul’sselection will be akeyfactor considering he has not been the first choice in recent monthswhileIshan has been on the receiving end of selectors' criticism for pulling out of the South Africa tour and the Ranji Trophy season.

Dinesh Karthik a wildcard?

Oneof the names that isstill attracting the selectors is Dinesh Karthik, as he ages like a fine wine.Karthik hasonceagain exploded onto the scene this season despite Royal ChallengersBengaluru’spoor form. He played a valiant 83-run knock against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in just 35 balls to show his skills as a pitch-hitter at the age of 38. He was interestingly included in the India squad for the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.