'Have five wicket-taking specialist bowlers...' - Former India batter's advice to Rahul Dravid ahead of T20 World Cup 2024 squad announcement

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to announce the squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 which is set to start on June 2. Seems like they were waiting for the IPL 2024 to reach its half stage to release the squad, however, haven't done that yet. Ahead of the squad announcement, former India batter Navjot Singh Sidhu advised Rahul Dravid to pick up five specialist bowlers for the tournament. 

"My straight advice to Rahul Dravid is that if you want to win this tournament, have five wicket-taking specialist bowlers, simple. The collapse of a team's character stems from the compromise point. You have three spinners in Bishnoi, Kuldeep and Jadeja, who picks himself. Mayank Yadav if he is fit, walks into this side. Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, and Mohsin Khan should be the fast bowlers," said Sidhu while talking on Star Sports.

Since the tournament will happen in the West Indies and the USA, India needs to take good bowlers with them who can defend a low score and won't let the opposition score any high scores against India. Moreover, some players have played amazingly in the IPL 2024, so the selectors should keep an eye on them as well. 

'India have a lot of options...' - Najvot Singh Sidhu on squad selection

The former India batter Navjot Singh Sidhu believes that India has a lot of options that can be taken for the upcoming World Cup 2024 and they should choose wisely. Moreover, according to Sidhu, bowlers can win tournaments and the captain and the selectors should focus more on the bowlers than batters.  

"India have a lot of options and they shouldn't compromise and pick guys who can bat and bowl a bit. You think of all the World Cup winning captains, they would've gone for quality bowling options. That's the secret. If seven batters can't win you the World Cup, even the 8th cannot do anything," said Sidhu.