Mumbai: Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday announced their 15-man squad for the forthcoming ICC World Cup 2019, which will feature 10 teams and is set to begin on 30th May in England and Wales.
Interestingly, Dinesh Karthik has beaten Rishabh Pant in the race to become the second wicket-keeper in the Indian team.
"It's definitely a case where we debated for long. We all felt that either Pant or Karthik will come in the playing XI if Dhoni is injured. We all felt if the injury happens in the semi-finals, wicket-keeping also matters, so that is the reason why we went for Karthik instead of Pant," MSK Prasad, the Chairman of selectors told reporters.
Meanwhile, Vijay Shankar goes to the showpiece event as the number four batsman and KL Rahul joins in as the back-up opener.
"After the Champions Trophy, we tried a lot of middle order batsmen, which includes Karthik as well. We gave Rayudu many chances, but Shankar gives us ability with the three dimensions (bowling, batting, fielding). If the conditions are suitable, he can come in as an all-rounder. Shankar is a batsman who can bowl, we are looking to play him at number four," MSK Prasad said.
Also, the selectors have picked Ravindra Jadeja has been picked as the third spinner ahead of a fourth pacer in the final squad and the chairman of selectors said that the all-rounder was picked keeping the conditions of the pitches in mind.
"In the last one year, Kuldeep and Chahal have won us many games. But there might be a situation when you require an additional all-rounder in the playing XI, which Jadeja brings in, and in the second part of the tournament, wickets may be a bit drier so that's where we think Jadeja will come in handy," MSK Prasad said.
India World Cup squad: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami, Vijay Shankar, Dinesh Karthik
It should be noted that the 50-over tournament will take place in England and Wales from May 30 to July 14. India will open their World Cup campaign against South Africa on June 5.
