India Cricket World Cup squad: KL Rahul named in 15-member squad; Prasidh Krishna, Tilak Varma miss out

India have named their 15-member squad for the ODI World Cup in October and November with no real surprises. Prasidh Krishna and Tilak Varma have failed to make the cut from the current Asia Cup squad with travelling reserve Sanju Samson also missing out. KL Rahul, who hasn’t played a match since a thigh injury during the Indian Premier League (IPL), has been included in the squad led by Rohit Sharma. In the process, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and all-rounder Washington Sundar have not been included despite suggestions in some corners. Instead, the selectors, coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit have decided to strengthen the batting with Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur as all-rounders. Ajit Agarkar, chairman of selection panel, travelled to Sri Lanka to meet Dravid and Rohit on the sidelines of the ongoing Asia Cup. The trio reportedly held multiple rounds of discussions over the squad.

Here's the #TeamIndia squad for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 🙌#CWC23 pic.twitter.com/EX7Njg2Tcv

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 5, 2023

One area of concern was the recovery process of Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul. Bumrah and Iyer have shown no signs of discomfort although the seamer has returned to Mumbai for the birth of his son. KL Rahul, meanwhile, has been cleared by the National Cricket Academy (NCA) medical staff. “It’s really a no-brainer. We picked these 18 guys, so it’ll be in and around those guys. Few important guys are coming back from injury. Hopefully, all goes well with them. They have got a few games now in the Asia Cup, so yeah, it’ll be between these guys,” Agarkar had said after announcing the Asia Cup squad. At the Asia Cup, India didn’t get much of an opportunity to test all players fully. The first match against Pakistan was washed out after an innings with India batting first. In the second contest, versus Nepal, India’s bowlers were tested but the batting was reduced by rain with only Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill getting time in the middle. “When we came here, in the back of our mind we knew what our (World Cup) 15 would look like, except maybe one or two spots. “We can’t really look too much into these two games, one was washed out, but luckily we got to bat in the first game and bowl in this one,” said Rohit on Monday after the win over Nepal. Additionally, India face a major headache in choosing between Ishan Kishan and Rahul for wicketkeeper’s role as well as for the No 5 slot. Kishan struck an attacking 82 against a quality Pakistan attack in Pallekele on Saturday, stitching a 138-run stand with Hardik Pandya and helping India recover from an early wobble to post 266 on the board. “Ishan Kishan played a lovely innings. You’d rather have a headache. There will be a conversation when KL Rahul returns. We’ll sit down and discuss. Happy to have two players who will fight for a place than the other way around,” Agarkar told reporters while announcing the World Cup squad alongside Rohit. India play their opening World Cup match against Australia in Chennai on 8 October. Before the World Cup, India play Australia in a three-match ODI series starting on 22 September. India’s ODI World Cup squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Suryakumar Yadav