Prasidh Krishna and Tilak Varma — the two additional members of India’s 17-member squad along with Sanju Samson, the travelling reserve — are set to miss out on India’s squad for the men’s Cricket World Cup. The 15-member squad is set to be announced on Tuesday, the last day of the deadline to submit the squad.
Barring the trio, all the other 15 squad members of the Asia Cup, are set to lead India’s quest for repeating the heroics of 2011, when Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men lifted the ODI World Cup on home soil.
It is highly unlikely that either R. Ashwin, the veteran off-spinner, or Washington Sundar, the off-spinning-all-rounder, will be able to make a last-minute entry with the team management preferring to strengthen its batting with a reliable option at No. 8.
Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur have been identified as the spin and pace-bowling all-rounders and are set to retain their place for the World Cup.
The Hindu understands that ever since chairman of the selection panel Ajit Agarkar joined the squad in Kandy on August 30, there have been multiple rounds of discussions between him, captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid.
Besides, the chief selector has also been keeping in touch with his colleagues in the selection committee about the fitness status of the recently recovered trio.
Jasprit Bumrah and Shreyas Iyer have shown no signs of discomfort, although the former has travelled to India for paternity leave. K.L. Rahul has also been cleared by the National Cricket Academy’s medical staff in Bengaluru, having recovered from a groin strain he picked up ahead of the Asia Cup.
As a result, the selection panel and the team management is unlikely to tinker around with the core that had been identified for the Asia Cup.
“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 on August 21 in New Delhi, after announcing the squad for the Asia Cup.
