'We were mainly looking for middle-order...' - Ajit Agarkar opens up on KL Rahul’s snub from T20 World Cup 2024 squad

The Indian Cricket Board chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, and India's captain, Rohit Sharma, were seen addressing the press conference on May 2. Notably, Team India announced the final 15-member squad on April 30 for the T20 World Cup 2024, which is slated to take place on June 1 in the West Indies and USA.

However, the squad has marked the surprise omission of star batter KL Rahul, despite LSG being in the top 4 in the IPL 2024, and  KL Rahul seems to be in beast form. Following the same, India's selector, Ajit Agar, finally breaks silence on the wicketkeeper's snub. The former India all-rounder revealed that KL Rahul is currently batting at the top of the order while the Men in Blue need batters in the middle order, and for the same reason, the side has decided to go with Pant and Samson due to their ability to bat in the middle order.

"KL Rahul has been opening in the IPL. We were mainly looking for middle-order options. So, we felt that Samson and Pant are better suited for that. Samson can bat anywhere in the lineup. So, it was just about what we needed and not about who was better," Ajit Agarkar said during the press conference.

One thing we looked at was our middle overs hitting: Ajit Agarkar

Meanwhile, Ajit Agarkar has also talked about playing XI combinations for the T20 World Cup 2024. The legendary cricketer revealed that they haven't decided on the playing XI combination for the marquee event, and it will totally depend on the situation of the games.

"One thing we looked at was our middle overs hitting. Our top-order hitting has been right. There are options there. We picked Shivam Dube based on what he has done in IPL and before that. We spoke about it and decided. There is no guarantee what our playing 11 will be like. We will play a  few practice games and depending on conditions and opposition, decide our plans," he added further.