The Board of Control of Cricket in India on Monday announced the 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
The Board of Control of Cricket in India on Monday announced the 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. The biggest surprise was the inclusion of Dinesh Karthik in place of Rishabh Pant. Allrounder Vijay Shankar was also chosen over Ambati Rayudu. Rayudu has been pretty inconsistent over a few months or so.
Before the announcement, there have been lots of talk about who will be the potential number four for India. Indian management now has two options of Karthik and Shankar for the No.4 slot. KL Rahul has also been picked up as a back-up opener. Rahul has been in an exceptional form in the ongoing Indian Premier League.
Ravindra Jadeja was also named in the 15-member squad as the third spinner behind Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. BCCI went with four pacers with Jasprit Bumrah leading the bowling attack. Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya complete the bowling attack for the tournament.
Talking to the reporters, chief selector MSK Prasad explained why Karthik was chosen over Pant. “Definitely a case where we debated in length. We all were in unison that either pant or DK will come in only when Mahi is injured. In an important game, wicket keeping is also important. That’s the reason we went with Dinesh Karthik.”
He further added, “After the Champions Trophy, we tried quite a few people [at No.4]. We gave a few more chances to Rayudu. What Vijay Shankar brings is three dimensional. We are looking at him at No. 4 to begin with.”
The 12th edition of the World Cup will be played in England & Wales. The prestigious tournament will start from May 30 with England taking on South Africa in the first match. The final will take place on July 14 at the Lord’s.
Full squad: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami
