The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday finalized the 15-man squad for the forthcoming ICC World Cup 2019, starting next month in India. The selectors have shown faith in KL Rahul while Sanju Samson has missed out on a spot.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar met Indian captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid on Saturday to finalise the team. The meeting held after the India vs Pakistan tie in the Asia Cup was washed out at the Pallekele Stadium in Kandy.
The squad is similar to what was announced for the ongoing continental event. Wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has found a place in the squad along with Shubman Gill. Shreyas Iyer and Suryakuamar Yadav have been picked to strengthen the middle-order. Rohit Sharma will lead the team with Virat Kohli being another senior face in the team.
All-rounders Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur have retained their spots as the selection committee continues to emphasize having depth in the batting line-up.
In the bowling department, the pace attack comprises Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj. Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav also made it to the squad.
As Rahul is expected to regain match fitness by the time the World Cup begins, the selectors have decided to leave out Sanju Samson, who is currently travelling as the only reserve player in the Asia Cup 2023. Besides the Kerala wicketkeeper-batter, the likes of Tilak Varma and Prasidh Krishna also didn’t find a place in the World Cup squad.