T20 World Cup 2024: Can Sandeep Sharma be a part of the India Squad?

Sandeep Sharma has shown his class in this IPL 2024 for Rajasthan Royals against Mumbai Indians on Monday (April 22).

The pacer, who was roped in as a replacement player last season, has continued to impress despite getting limited chances.

In the match against MI, the 30-year-old pacer registered his first five-fer in the IPL. Sharma picked up the key wickets of Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav in the powerplay, and then came back at the death to get three more wickets.

Sandeep Sharma has built a reputation in domestic and international cricket as a formidable swing bowler. His ability to swing the ball both ways makes him a tricky proposition for any batsman. In T20 format, where bowlers have a limited window to make an impact, the pacer hones the quality to thrive there.

Along with the swing up front, Sharma has an excellent ability to bowl serial yorkers at the death when the batters go all guns blazing. His multifaceted abilities are quite vivid in this IPL as the pacer has picked up 6 wickets in three IPL 2024 matches.

Furthermore, Sharma's economy after bowling 11 overs is 6.91 runs per over, which is amongst the best amid the batting blitzkrieg we have seen in this edition of the tournament.

T20 World Cup 2024: Can India pick Sandeep Sharma for the World Cup?

Now the question is can India afford to take Sandeep to the upcoming T20 World Cup? Yes, it may look like a very premature claim, but if Sharma continues to keep performing, there is no reason why the team can't pick him for the World Cup.

In terms of base bowlers, the Indian team doesn't have the dirt of talents, but the players haven't so far shown there. Best bids in this eye ongoing IPL tournament. Apart from Jasprit Bumrah, who is a certainty to the Indian squad, no other bowlers have cemented their place. M

ohammed Siraj is having an underwhelming season with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and it is the same with Arshdeep Singh who has been expensive for Punjab Kings despite getting 10 wickets so far. Mohammed Shami is injured while Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep, who have featured in recent India matches, have struggled so far.

The biggest strength Sandeep possesses is his mindset and execution. The pacer has the skills to bowl according to the situation and has the mentality to bounce back from adversities as he has shown it in IPL. In the Caribbean and USA conditions, where the pitch can offer assistance to his way of bowling, the RR pacer can become an asset for Rohit Sharma and team.

Mayank Yadav, the young LSG sensation, was being tipped to make it to the India squad but his unfortunate injury so far has halted his chances. And if Sandeep can capitalize on his recent emergence, he will definitely make a case for himself.