The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the 15-man India squad for the ICC World Cup 2019, to be played in England and Wales from May 30 till July 14.
Virat Kohli will lead the squad while Rohit Sharma has been named his deputy. There are no major changes in the final fifteen announced by the selectors. However, the inclusion of Dinesh Karthik over Rishabh Pant can be considered as a surprise to some extent.
The announcement had been awaited with great anticipation, especially since it was announced about a week ago, with most of the conjecture surrounding who would be India’s crucial No. 4 batsman. India’s final 15 were announced by the Chairman of Selectors MSK Prasad on Monday afternoon in Mumbai.
Experienced Dinesh Karthik pipped young Rishabh Pant in the fight for the second wicket-keeper’s slot.
“The second wicketkeeper comes into play only if Mahi (Mahendra Singh Dhoni) is injured. We went ahead with Karthik because of his experience in big matches,” Prasad was quoted as saying while he announced the squad. The Indian side comprises of five specialist batsmen, two wicket-keepers, three fast bowlers, three all-rounders, and two specialist spinners.
Tamil Nadu all-rounder Vijay Shankar made it into the final 15 because of his “three-dimensional” qualities.
India’s 15-man squad for the 2019 World Cup:
Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami.
