ICC World Cup: India announce their 15-man provisional squad
Both KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan have earned a place in India's squad for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup, starting October 5. The men's selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar the 15-member squad on Tuesday. Notably, teams can still make changes to the squads until September 28. Hosts India will take on Australia in their World Cup opener on October 8 in Chennai.
A look at India's squad for World Cup
India's squad for WC: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj.
Rahul returns; questions on his fitness
As expected Rahul, who hasn't played a competitive match since March this year due to injuries, has found the cut. Rahul was also included in the Asia Cup squad, but he is yet to regain full fitness. As of now, Ishan seems to be India's first-choice wicket-keeper for the World Cup. He is also keeping wickets in the ongoing Asia Cup.
Chahal once again left out of bowling attack
India's experienced pace trio - Bumrah, Shami, and Siraj - return for the upcoming World Cup. Besides, all-rounders Hardik and Shardul Thakur will also chip in with their fast bowling. Finger-spinners Jadeja and Axar, as well as wrist-spinner Kuldeep, form the spin attack. Like in the Asia Cup, the experienced leg-spinner Chahal has been dropped from the World Cup squad.
Sanju Samson, Prasidh Krishna miss out
Young batter Tilak Varma and fast bowler Prasidh Krishna have missed out on the World Cup squad. The duo is part of India's 17-member Asia Cup squad. Tilak showed promise in the West Indies T20I series, while Prasidh is one of the fastest Indian bowlers. India's World Cup squad also excludes Sanju Samson, who traveled to Sri Lanka as a reserve player.
WC 2023 will kick off on October 5
The 50-over WC will start on October 5, with reigning champions England taking on New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. The final will be held on November 19, with matches scheduled in 10 host cities- Dharamsala, Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and Ahmedabad. Ahmedabad will host the summit clash, while the semi-finals will be held in Kolkata and Mumbai.
