India squad for World T20: Pandey extremely unlucky, but selectors pick right team for Dhoni

Score a terrific hundred, make sure you don't get out, hit the winning runs to hand your team the first victory on a tour – Manish Pandey would have thought that would have been enough to see him lock his place in the upcoming World Cup.

However, that particular hundred he conjured against Australia will remain his last innings for India for quite a while now, after the Kolkata Knight Riders batsman was overlooked for the World T20.

Every time a squad for a World Cup is announced, there is at least one player who feels aggrieved. And, while in most cases that feeling is the result of wanting too much drama in your life, Pandey certainly has a case to feel unlucky.

The choice for the selectors, with the rest of the batsmen in the squad picking themselves, was between Pandey and Ajinkya Rahane. An inexperienced international batsman against someone who keeps improving every time he goes onto the field for India. A match-winner in the limited-overs format against the consummate team man, ready to do whatever is necessary to help the squad out.

In the end, Rahane got the not ahead of Pandey, and nobody can begrudge him a place in the India World T20 squad. Rahane gives skipper MS Dhoni an extra opening option, while being capable of contributing anywhere in the batting order. Yes, his finishing skills might not be the greatest, and yes, Pandey certainly has one over on Rahane in that department, but when it comes to just doing what is necessary, Rahane is a hard man to beat.

The fact that both are outstanding fielders – Rahane is perhaps the better catcher – meant it was a straight toss up of their batting skills and what each of them can bring to the table. Rahane's ability to open and his superior experience tilted the scale in his favour, with Pandey left to wonder what might have been. The key for the Karnataka batsman will be to move on from the snub, get stronger, convert that disappointment into good energy and score bucketloads of runs, starting with the Sri Lanka T20 series.

For now, though, all Pandey can do is watch from the sidelines and cheer on this India team, who, on paper, look capable of going all the way, at the World T20. The rest of the India squad is much on expected lines, with Mohammed Shami, fitness permitting, making his comeback. With Jasprit Bumrah looking the real deal with the white ball and Ashish Nehra bringing all that experience with him, India have a pretty solid pace attack.

The spin is never a worry with R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja leading the way, and Harbhajan Singh and Pawan Negi, preferred over Axar Patel, acting as the backup options.

India's batting is what will win them the title, though (the World T20, not the Asia Cup, even if that particular crown will act as a nice little confidence booster ahead of the big thing). If Rohit Sharma, Shikhar blow-hot-blow-cold-but-hopefully-he-stays-hot-during-the-World-t20 Dhawan and Virat Kohli continue their ridiculous form, India will do well, there is absolutely no doubt about that.

That doesn't mean MS Dhoni's men will fall off the rails if the top three fails. With Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, the captain Dhoni himself, Rahane (if he plays), Hardik Pandya, Jadeja and Ashwin (does he count as an all-rounder in the T20 format?) to come after that drive-pulls-glides-and-lofts-filled top three, India have a batting order to beat any batting order in this World T20.

The fact that the tournament is at home will also, obviously, help, and what the selectors have done is pick the best possible squad to go and win this World T20 in front of their own fans.

Now it is all about Dhoni's favourite word – execution.