The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selects 15-member squad for ICC ODI World Cup
Introduction
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) senior national selection committee on late Saturday night picked the 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC ODI World Cup with KL Rahul finding a place in the team as Sanju Samson missed out.
Selection Process
The selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar flew to Sri Lanka where he met Indian captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid and picked the squad. The meeting took place after the India vs Pakistan Asia Cup game in Kandy which was washed out after the first innings.
Excluded Players
- Sanju Samson
- Tilak Varma
- Prasidh Krishna
The Squad
- Rohit Sharma (captain)
- Ishan Kishan
- Shubman Gill
- Virat Kohli
- Shreyas Iyer
- Suryakumar Yadav
- Hardik Pandya
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Axar Patel
- Shardul Thakur
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Mohammed Shami
- Mohammed Siraj
- Kuldeep Yadav
KL Rahul’s Inclusion
The selection committee also discussed Rahul’s fitness and after the medical team gave a green signal, he was included in the squad. Rahul has been hitting the nets and has batted for several hours back at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. It is also learnt that he will be flown to Lanka to join Indian team in Asia Cup.
Selection Deadline
The BCCI who had a deadline of September 5 to submit its final World Cup squad to the International Cricket Council (ICC), wanted to keep its selection committee meet on the evening of September 4. But after the medical team cleared Rahul, it is understood that they felt there was no point in waiting for a day.
Rahul’s Injury
Rahul, who has been a mainstay in the starting XI and will probably also don the gloves in the World Cup, had undergone surgery on his right thigh and has been out for the past three and half months.
Agarkar’s Statement
During a press conference a few weeks ago, Agarkar had said that Rahul had picked up a niggle and that’s why Sanju Samson was picked as a back-up option. “Shreyas is being declared completely fit while KL Rahul has picked up a niggle. It is not his original injury and that’s why Sanju is travelling with us. We are all expecting him to be fit, if not at the start of the Asia Cup but maybe the second and third game but he is well on track. They are two important players and since we are not picking the team for the World Cup teams till September 5, it gives us some time,” Agarkar had told the reporters in New Delhi after Asia Cup squad selection.
Conclusion
Agarkar had already hinted that the selection committee will be picking the World Cup squad from its Asia Cup 18 member squad and as expected there were no major surprises in store.
