Misters and Misses

A distinct slant towards spin, evidenced by the presence of four tweakers, and the non-inclusion of Rinku Singh, a designated finisher, were among the biggest talking points as India's selectors named the 15 for the T20 World Cup, starting in a month's time.

India will play their four initial-round games in New York (three matches) and Lauderhill, and the universal consensus is that surfaces at these two venues, as well as in the Caribbean, will have more in them for the spinners than the faster bowlers. That has facilitated a comeback to the T20 scheme of things for the first time since August last year of Yuzvendra Chahal, the leg-spinner who is in the middle of another wonderful IPL.

Chahal ahead of Bishnoi

Chahal forms a potent quartet alongside left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav and all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, the selectors opting for the experience and pedigree of Chahal ahead of Ravi Bishnoi, who has been tidy, but is shy of wickets in the IPL.

Rinku had been a shoo-in for the World Cup at the start of the IPL, but in a straight shootout, he lost out to Shivam Dube, also an explosive left-handed middle-order powerhouse who can also bowl handy medium pace. Dube hasn't bowled a single ball for Chennai Super Kings, but the fact that he can chip in if required has earned him the nod as one of two fast-medium all-rounders alongside Hardik Pandya, who has been named Rohit Sharma's deputy even though he hasn't had a great run for Mumbai Indians in his first stint as his franchise's designated skipper.

Rinku versus Dube was one of several straight contests; the others involved Sanju Samson and KL Rahul for the second wicketkeeper's slot behind Rishabh Pant, and Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill for the right to open alongside Rohit. Samson's stunning consistency and his calmness under pressure, both of which have shone through this season, tilted the scales in his favour and even though Gill has been the more prolific of the two openers in contention, the nod went to Jaiswal, his left-handedness perhaps doing the trick. Rinku, Rahul and Gill must consider themselves desperately unlucky to miss the bus, but with so many options at their disposal, any call the selectors make will have both supporters and detractors.

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The selection panel hasn't gone entirely by IPL numbers, though. That is clear from their continued faith in both Pandya and Mohammed Siraj, who is only just beginning to hit his straps after an iffy start to the tournament. The temptation to turn to Tilak Varma, one of the few bright spots this season for MI, might have been overwhelming, but the logjam at the top of the batting order precluded the young left-hander's inclusion.

Consistent Kohli

It was impossible to look beyond Virat Kohli's blazing consistency - his 500 runs have come at a strike rate of more than 147 - and Suryakumar Yadav's standing as the best T20 batsman in the world, which automatically meant that several potential left-field contenders fell by the wayside. In any case, India's selectors have seldom been known to go with out-of-the-box choices for a tournament as high-profile as a World Cup, so the touch of predictability to the 15-strong party is understandable.

The peerless Jasprit Bumrah helms a trio of specialist quicks - Arshdeep Singh provides the left-arm variety - in a further indication of how the think-tank expects the pitches to behave in North America. In the final analysis, there is balance and depth in the squad; there is also oodles of experience and an obvious trust in the tried and the tested. Previous campaigns with a similar approach haven't paid dividends for over a decade now, but hope always springs eternal, doesn't it?

T20 World Cup squad

Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj

Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan