Indian team has gone ahead of Pakistan in cricket, says Jatin Paranjpe

As the T20 World Cup 2024 has set the stage ablaze cricket fans all around the world are going crazy Amid the tournament MidDay interviewed former Indian cricketer Jatin Paranjpe who shared with us insight into Indias T20 World Cup 2024 squad how the selection panel works and many moreThe Men in Blue began their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign against Ireland on Wednesday at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium Rohit Sharma had to retire hurt after scoring a 50 and at halfway stage in second innings On April 30th the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced their 15man squad for the T20 World Cup 2024 which is jointly hosted by the USA and the West IndiesSpeaking about the squad selection Jatin Paranjpe said The selection job is very complex and Ajit Agarkar and his committee have done a very good job They have picked a good team Many people might not know that a team must consist of only 15 players for the ICC events you cant pick the 16th extra player like it is done for the bilateral series So its even more tougher to pick 15 playersIf you are a selector then you basically look forward to 23 factors First is performance but before that you look at the needs of the team If whether a team needs an allrounder or a batsman for the upcoming six months or not and only after then a selector shortlists 45 players from domestic cricket Paranjpe addedWhen asked if along with domestic cricket do selectors consider the performances in the Indian Premier League IPL Speaking on it former Indian batsman said Yes even IPL performances are important but in domestic cricket there is a league called Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy which selectors keep a close watch on So first is the teams need the second is the players performance and the third factor is the situation in which the player has performedThe Indian squad for the marquee event included the likes of four spinners namely Kuldeep Yadav Ravindra Jadeja Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal Speaking on the spin attack of India Jatin mentioned The team has been picked according to the conditions because our first four matches are in the US and later in the West Indies In the West Indies the wickets are familiar to India they are slow and low so I think Axar Patels selection is a very very smart selection He will definitely play in the team especially in the West Indies legIn a recent press conference when asked to Rohit and Agarkar about the absence of an offspinner in the team the Indian skipper raised his hand You need to take Rohit in a tongue and cheeks manner at times because hes just pulling your leg I dont know if he is actually practising in the nets but he is actually a good offspinner Lets not forget he has a hat trick in the IPL during his stint with Deccan Chargers he saidFollowing Hardik Pandyas poor form in the IPL 2024 He is an indispensable member in this team because he gives you a cushion to bat at number five He also becomes the sixth bowler in the team as none of our toporder batsmen can bowl If you look at the 2011 team Sachin Viru Yuvi and Raina could bowl but now we struggle for those options and hence we need Hardik in the team He is a big matchs player Paranjpe told MidDayldquoThere is no doubt about his cricket at all He is a match winner Ups and downs are a part of cricket career He didnrsquot have a good IPL season this year but not being the Indian cricket team captain in the World Cup is going to work as an advantage for him There are multiple meetings and responsibilities as the captain of the ship so not being the captain will help him focus on his game He will do wellrdquo he addedAlso Rinku Singh failed to secure his spot in the main squad Following the matter he said Its very unfortunate for him But after this World Cup a transition phase will come up when Rinku Ruturaj and Tilak Varma will make it to the team and you will see many young boys in Indias T20 teamSpeaking about KL Rahuls snub from the World Cup squad Jatin said Lets keep Rishabh aside because for me he is a big player If we compare KL and Sanju Samson then Samson has a good strike rate in the previous 23 years than KL In T20 seventh to eleventh over is a crucial phase where Sanju is a suitable player and not KL RahulIndia is placed in Group A along with Canada Ireland Pakistan and the USA On this when asked how easy would it be for India to reach the Super 8 Jatin said Looking at the format India should easily reach the semifinalsOne of the greatest rivalries in cricket India vs Pakistan is set to be played on June 9 When asked according to Pakistans current team do you think it would turn out to an another highvoltage match No I dont think so I am not a big fan of Babar as a captain he is a big player This Indian team has gone ahead of Pakistan in terms of cricket But the return of Mohammed Amir would be interesting The likes of Afridi Haris Naseem and Amir can possibly be the reason to heat up the clash Itrsquos a big match and we are in for a treatWhen asked about the promising teams in the ongoing World Cup I think West Indies is a very dangerous team having the home advantage other than that India EnglandIndiaPakistan IndiaWest Indies and IndiaEngland are the big matches feels Jatin Paranjpe Coming to the Australian side Jatin feels the Aussies dont have the bowling lineup for West Indies like England and India haveRapid FireTop 3 dark horses South Africa Netherlands and BangladeshIndiarsquos biggest rival West IndiesBiggest advantage for Team India Virat KohliBiggest challenge for Team India Shouldnrsquot let West Indies make 220 or 230Your favourite player from Team India Yashasvi JaiswalA player you think should have been included in the team Rinku Singh