The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) senior men’s selection committee has reportedly picked the 15-member Indian Squad for the 2023 World Cup, which will be played in India from October 5 to November 19.
Apparently, KL Rahul was named in the team after the medical team declared him fit, while Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, and Prasidh Krishna missed out.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has set September 5 as the deadline for all teams for initial squad submission for the World Cup. All nations must finalize their squads before September 28. Any changes after this date will require approval from the ICC.
According to a report in The Indian Express, BCCI selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar flew to Sri Lanka to meet Indian captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid and picked the squad for World Cup 2023.
The report added that the meeting was held after the India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 match in Pallekele, which was washed out due to rain.
As per the report, the selection committee discussed Rahul’s fitness. The medical team is said to have given the go-ahead to the keeper-batter after which he was included in the World Cup Squad.
The 31-year-old was earlier ruled out of India’s first two Asia Cup 2023 matches due to a fresh niggle that he picked up while he was rehabilitating following his thigh injury during IPL 2023. Rahul has been in the nets at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru and is likely to join the Indian team in Sri Lanka soon.
There are no surprises as such in the World Cup 2023 squad as mentioned in the news report. The Rohit Sharma-led side includes Ishan Kishan, who has been impressive in the ODI format recently, while Suryakumar Yadav also retains his place despite his poor record in the format.
Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal remains out of contention in the bowling department, with the selectors preferring Kuldeep Yadav and the all-rounders.
India’s likely World Cup 2023 squad
Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav.
Team India will begin their World Cup 2023 campaign with a tough match against Australia in Chennai on October 8.
