T20 World Cup 2024: Kohli IN? Shami OUT? Four India stars who may play no part in T20 WC

India have named their squad for the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan starting from Thursday (January 11).

The Indian team will play the Afghans in a three-match series as the final phase of their T20 World Cup preparation as no international T20 matches are there for team India after this one.

As the Men in Blue prepare for the inaugural clash against Afghanistan, a few interesting calls have been taken by BCCI. Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been called in for the Afghanistan matches, whereas a few other stars have been dropped.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli set to be in T20 WC Squad, For Now

There is no doubt that the IPL 2024 performances will play a major part in the T20 World Cup squad selection, but if early indications are to be taken, we can safely say Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be in the flight for the USA in June, with the latter likely to lead the team.

But among the current absentees, selectors may be reluctant to recall any of them for the World Cup. There is a cautious keenness of moving forward with the T20 side as more youths are being preferred, which may mean a few star names may be omitted in the final selection.

Here are four probable names who may miss the flight for the T20I World Cup-

Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav had an injury amid the South Africa tour and then a sports hernia means the Indian star will be undergoing a surgery. The forced surgery keeps him out for at least a couple of months and that means he may miss first few weeks of the IPL.

And subsequently, if SKY fails to perform for Mumbai Indians, doubts may loom over his future. Also the fitness is going to be an issue and it can be challenging for him to make it to the India squad.

Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami is having a fitness concern at the moment. The pacer was ruled out of the South Africa Tests due to his injury and may take a month or so to return to full action. Shami is expected to play in the IPL for Gujarat Titans but that may not be enough to seal a spot for the T20 World Cup.

BCCI has a plethora of quality pacers in the squad and they may stick with the youngsters for the T20 challenge.

Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan's name is missing from the Afghanistan series. The southpaw has been devoid of much game time recently and now he has been completely discarded from the squad, which can be a cause for concern. Kishan will have to step up in the IPL and only a grand outing for Mumbai Indians may warrant his place in the Indian squad.

Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur's modest World Cup 2023 outing has taken him out of the limited-overs contention for India. The all-rounder recently played in the first Test against South Africa but another lacklustre performance means he was left out of the starting XI for the 2nd Test.

Thakur will have to pull off a huge performance in the IPL to get his name back in the reckoning, but he still may find himself down the pecking order for the USA flight.