Is it too late for surprise inclusions?

AS the senior men’s selection committee led by BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar is set to announce the squad of the T20 World Cup on Saturday — more than 45 days before their first match —a few players may anxiously wait to see if they make the cut for the marquee event.

- CHANDRA PRABHU @Chennai

Hosts India will begin their title defence against United States on February 7.

One of the few names who would hope to see his name on the squad is Ishan Kishan. Kishan, who last appeared in Blue in late 2023, never got the opportunity due to his reported “attitude problem.” Almost two years later, he has led his state Jharkhand to their first SMAT title, scoring a 49-ball 101 in the final on Thursday. He ended his campaign with 517 runs with 33 sixes striking at 197.32.

Then there is Yashasvi Jaiswal. Part of the winning team of the 2024 T20 World Cup in West Indies, Jaiswal never got to play T20Is after the series at Sri Lanka in July last year. In the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the 23-year-old cracked a century for Mumbai (101 off 50 balls vs Haryana) in a high-scoring chase. Playing from the opener’s slot, his strike rate was at 202.