Indian selectors have named the 15-man roster for the World Cup starting next month, and Suryakumar Yadav has managed to keep his ODI position. Suryakumar, newcomer Tilak Varma, and wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson appeared to be vying for the backup middle-order spot after KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer recently returned to the 50-over setup following their long-term injuries. However, the 32-year-old has won the contest.
The No. 1 T20I batsman in the world, Suryakumar, has been unable to replicate his T20I success in ODI cricket for some time now, going 18 innings without a fifty. In the recent absence of Rahul and Iyer, he has also played numerous positions in the middle order, and the team management has continued to support the dashing batter.
Despite not going to Sri Lanka for the Asia Cup group stages, as was reported on Monday (September 4), Rahul’s inclusion in the team for the major tournament was not in doubt. While continuing his recuperation at the NCA, the 31-year-old recently demonstrated his fitness by keeping and batting.
Tilak, Samson, and Prasidh Krishna, who were part of the group that came to Sri Lanka for the ongoing Asia Cup, did not make the final roster, which is broadly in line with expectations. Even though Prasidh and Jasprit Bumrah just made their long-awaited comebacks from respective ailments, only the latter made it to the final 15, as was predicted. Aside from all-rounder Hardik Pandya, Bumrah is joined by Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and Shardul Thakur in the fast-bowling category. Given that India’s batting depth has been a problem in limited-overs cricket, Shardul appears to have edged Prasidh in the final 15.
Yuzvendra Chahal, who was not selected for the Asia Cup, is still out of the lineup, while Kuldeep Yadav has been selected as the team’s only wrist spinner. Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja are the other two alternatives for spin. Ishan Kishan continues to play as the backup wicketkeeper-batter for India after his vital half-century helped them escape trouble against Pakistan in their Asia Cup opener.
Squad: Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya.