Late on Saturday night, the senior national selection committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) unveiled the 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC ODI World Cup. KL Rahul secured his spot in the team, while Sanju Samson missed out on selection.
Ajit Agarkar, the chairman of the selection committee, travelled to Sri Lanka for a meeting with Indian captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid to finalise the squad. This meeting took place following the India vs Pakistan Asia Cup game in Kandy, which ended in a washout after the first innings.
In addition to Samson, Tilak Varma and Prasidh Krishna, who were currently in Sri Lanka for the Asia Cup, did not make it into the World Cup squad.
Which players made the cut?
Rohit Sharma will lead the team, and Ishan Kishan, who performed admirably in the middle-order, also secured a spot in the squad. India’s batting lineup in the tournament will be bolstered by Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and Suryakumar Yadav.
The squad also includes all rounders Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Shardul Thakur, emphasising batting depth.
In the bowling department, the pace attack will be led by Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj, with spinner Kuldeep Yadav also making the cut.
KL Rahul in the list
The selection committee evaluated Rahul’s fitness, and after receiving the green light from the medical team, he was included in the squad. Rahul has been training extensively at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru and is expected to join the Indian team in the Asia Cup.
The BCCI initially planned to hold the selection committee meeting on the evening of September 4, ahead of the September 5 deadline to submit the World Cup squad to the International Cricket Council (ICC). However, with Rahul’s clearance from the medical team, they decided not to wait an extra day.
Rahul, a key member of the starting XI who may also take on the wicketkeeping duties in the World Cup, had been sidelined for the past three and a half months due to a right thigh injury and subsequent surgery.