Sanju Samson Dropped from India’s World Cup Squad, Rohit asks those who missed out to ‘keep chin up’
On Tuesday, BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar and skipper Rohit Sharma held a press conference in Sri Lanka to announce India’s 15-member squad for the World Cup. Notably, KL Rahul was included in the Indian squad, but Sanju Samson missed out.
While discussing the team, Rohit Sharma said, “We have three all-rounders, 4 seamers, 7 batsmen. I don’t think we could do more than that. Whatever we had available, we gave it a thought to come up with the squad, so that we get some batting depth, spinning options…For us, this is the best combination”.
India’s World Cup Squad announced: The team combination decoded
Openers:
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill
There were no major surprises on this front as Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill are likely to occupy the two opening spots for Team India in the World Cup. The duo spearheaded the team to a fantastic 10-wicket victory over Nepal in Kandy on Monday. Both the batters have scored double centuries in the ODI format and are well-placed to provide the team strong starts in the competition.
Middle-Order:
Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav
Virat Kohli was a straightforward pick whereas there were certain doubts over both Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav’s selections. Iyer has only just returned from a back injury that kept him out of cricketing action since March. He was dismissed for 14 runs in his comeback match against Pakistan on Saturday and will have to get some big scores under his belt ahead of the mega tournament. On the other hand, Suryakumar Yadav has by his own admission underperformed in 50-overs cricket but the X-factor that he brings to the table has helped him find a place in the squad.
Wicket-Keepers: Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul
Ishan Kishan made a cracking statement with his 82-run knock under pressure against Pakistan last week. The southpaw has now recorded four consecutive half-centuries in the ODI format and will potentially battle for a place in the XI with either Rahul or Iyer.
Rahul has seven half-centuries and a ton to his name in 16 innings batting at No. 5 since the start of 2020. He adds balance and tremendous game-awareness to the middle-order, having played the rescue act more than once from that slot in the last few years. However, his form and batting rhythm will be under scanner after a relatively long injury layoff.
All-Rounders: Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel
There are certainly some surprises in this category. Shardul Thakur has edged past pacer Prasidh Krishna to find a place in the 15-man squad owing to his superior batting skills that add further weight to the lineup at the No. 8 spot. Axar Patel has found a spot in the team owing to similar reasons. Though his skillsets are largely similar to those of Jadeja, Patel could be called up into action when the pitches get slower and if India wishes to play an additional spinner in the later stages of the tournament. Hardik Pandya will be the vice-captain of the team.
Spinner: Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav is the only specialist spinner in the squad. His impressive performances in recent times helped him beat Yuzvendra Chahal and find a spot in the side. His leg-break skills will be of abundant importance for Team India to find regular breakthroughs in the middle-overs.
Fast Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Mohammad Siraj
Jasprit Bumrah will be spearheading the bowling unit as Mohammad Siraj will complement him in the playing XI. At No. 4, Siraj is the highest-ranked India pacer in the ICC Men’s ODI Bowling rankings. Further, Mohammad Shami is set to represent India for the third consecutive time in an ODI World Cup.
Rohit asks those who missed out to ‘keep chin up’
Three players, namely: Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, and Prasidh Krishna, who are a part of the traveling contingent to Sri Lanka for the Asia Cup, have missed out on the squad for the World Cup. KL Rahul, who was undergoing rehabilitation in the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, has been declared fit and will be a part of the 15-man squad for the quadrennial competition.
Considering that, Rohit Sharma being a true leader has motivated every player who missed out on being a part of India’s World Cup Squad this time.
The Indian team captain said, “There will be players who have missed. But that happens every World Cup. There is going to be disappointment, but we can only get 15 in. The talent we have in India, it is hard…I have gone through it, I know how it feels. You have to keep your chin up…it was about how to create good balance, keep good all-round options…this is the best 15 we could get.”
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