Why was Abhishek Sharma not picked in India's T20 World Cup 2024 squad?

Add as a preferred source on Google

Abhishek Sharma played a blinder against Lucknow Super Giants on Wednesday, and in the words of Tom Moody, the youngster fast-tracked his career million miles per hour with his knock which consisted of eight fours and six sixes.

The southpaw from Punjab scored unbeaten 75 runs off just 28 balls as SRH chased down a 166-run target in just 9.4 overs. The sensational hitting left many wondering why he wasn't picked in the India squad for the T20 World Cup 2024.

The answer is simple - Abhishek Sharma lacked credentials and the Indian top-order was already witnessing a traffic jam with a lot more experienced candidates in the queue. He smashed a fifty while batting at number three in his second outing of the IPL 2024, and then waited ten games to cross the landmark score for the second time.

Abhishek Sharma, who is carrying a strike rate of 205.64, failed to cross the 20-run mark in his last three outings before India's T20 World Cup squad was picked. His mentor Yuvraj Singh also reckoned that the 23-year-old was still not ready for international cricket, leave apart a tournament as big as the World Cup.

"Abhishek is almost there but I don't think he is ready for the World Cup right now. For the World Cup, we have to take an experienced side. Obviously some guys have played for India. After the World Cup, he should be prepared to play for India. That is what he should focus on. Coming six months will be very important for Abhishek," Yuvraj recently told Cricbuzz.

Talent and power is one thing, but consistently scoring those big runs is another. Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed five fifties and a hundred in IPL 2023 to break the selection doors, and become an India international.

Someone like Suryakumar Yadav waited for years before making his India debut at 31. A player like Rinku Singh, who has played the role of finisher to perfection for India and his IPL franchise KKR, missed out and found place only in the reserve list of T20 World Cup. Same was the case with Shubman Gill, a friend of Abhishek Sharma.

With Rohit Sharma the designated captain of Team India at T20 World Cup 2024, Yashasvi Jaiswal was picked as his opening partner. Virat Kohli is in the team, and would definitely play in the top-three. The middle-order also has the likes of Suryakumar, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya and others.

Abhishek Sharma missed out a berth this time, but the time is not far when the extremely talented all-rounder will get his chance to shine on the big stage in India blue.