India SWOT Analysis | ICC T20 World Cup 2024 Team India SWOT Analysis

For the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the 15-member squad which will travel to the West Indies and the US. India's campaign in the World Cup will start on June 5 against Ireland which will be held in New York. The Indian squad looks fine with the inclusion of great players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and others. However, the exclusion of Rinku Singh from the 15-member squad sparked controversies in the cricket world. 

Keeping four spinners in the team, including two left-handers seemed unnecessary at first until Captain Sharma said that this decision was intentional and the reasons will only be revealed during the tournament. Hence, the experts and the fans have no other choice than to wait and see how everything unfolds once the tournament kicks in.

Since everything is set now, let's do a SWOT analysis of India's squad ahead of T20 World Cup 2024:

Strength: 

India's batting is their main strength as they have players like Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya and Sanju Samson, who are responsible and reliable at the same time. All the mentioned players have quite an experience in the game and have played in different types of pitches in their careers. Hence, playing in New York and West Indies wouldn't affect their batting much.

Apart from this, India's spin department is extremely strong in the likes of Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. Most importantly, two of the players can bat as well which gives the team an added advantage. The bowlers are well-versed in their skills and will hope to implement it during the World Cup. Hence, India is sorted into these two departments. 

Weakness:

India's weakness during the tournament will be the inclusion of players who haven't played a lot of cricket recently, including Rishabh Pant, Shivam Dube, Suryakumar Yadav, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who does not have much experience in playing on slow pitches, which will be offered in the West Indies. While the drop-in pitches of New York are expected to be pace-friendly, India's struggle will start to post the league stages when they get to play in the West Indies. 

Moreover, the death bowling department is still in confusion as to who will be Jasprit Bumrah's partner. In total, India has three pacers, Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Arshdeep Singh. However, both Siraj and Singh lack experience in overseas conditions like the host nations and hence, it will be tough for the team to select the desirable combinations as well. Now the main question which arises is whether India will go with three pacers or three spinners in overseas conditions. 

Opportunities:

Since India has four spinners, India can take advantage of the spin tracks in the Caribbean pitches. All four spinners are quite experienced and can provide a good amount of spin if the pitches support them well. Also, the combination of Kul-Cha has the reputation of destroying opponents on spin-friendly pitches. Hence, India can rely on the spinners and grab the opportunity whenever required. 

Threats:

India's biggest threat is the current form of players like Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and captain Rohit Sharma. In the ongoing IPL 2024, all of these players are struggling hard to find their form which is a matter of concern for the selectors. However, if we focus on the quote, 'Form is temporary, class is permanent', the stress level comes down a bit as the players are known for making solid comebacks in the game. 

This is not the only concern for India ahead of the World Cup 2024. Men in blue should also be terrorized by opponents like Australia, the West Indies, New Zealand, England, and South Africa who play like beasts during any ICC tournament. All of these teams have a dependable team and will look to smash the Indian side at every given opportunity.

They are the biggest threats to the Indian side, especially during the knockouts. Hence, the team will have to be extra careful while playing against these sides in the T20 World Cup 2024 because India certainly don't want a repeat of the ODI World Cup 2023 within just seven months.