Hyderabad/Kandy: Star batter Rohit Sharma will lead the 15-member Indian squad in the upcoming 2023 Cricket World Cup, which will be hosted by the BCCI and played in India.
The BCCI on Tuesday announced the Indian squad for the much-anticipated tournament, which will be played at different venues in India, at a press conference in Kandy, Sri Lanka. The announcement was made by Chief Selector and former India pacer Ajit Agarkar at a press conference. Skipper Rohit Sharma was also present on the occasion.
A fit-again wicket-keeper batter KL Rahul, who was given clearance by the National Cricket Academy, Bengaluru, has been included in the squad. Batter Suryakumar Yadav, all-rounder Hardik Pandya, opener Shubman Gill, former India skipper and star batter Virat Kohli, have also been included in the squad.
Also read: 'Virat Kohli is perfect...':Ab de Villiers on India's No. 4 conundrum in 2023 World Cup
The pace attack will be led by pacer Jasprit Bumrah and includes Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj along with pace-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur. The Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel have reposed their faith in chinaman Kuldeep Yadav, left-arm spinners Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja.
"There were a couple of fitness issues we had but all three players have come back, KL is looking good. We feel this squad gives us the best balance for this World Cup," chief selector Ajit Agarkar said. "KL looked really good there but picked up a niggle just before the Asia Cup. He has gotten over it. He is an important player for us and we are happy to have him," added Agarkar, former Mumbai pacer.
"This is probably the best 15 we could get," skipper Rohit Sharma said. "We have nine games in the tournament before the Semis, hence we will be having a breathing space. We can bounce back even after a game or two not going our way," added Rohit Sharma, who took over the reins from Virat Kohli. "Some of the boys will be disappointed because we have to select from a bunch of players. Everyone has to be prepared for the upcoming chances and should not feel sad about this," said Rohit, who plays for Mumbai in domestic cricket.
"We have aimed at creating depth in both batting and bowling, which we have been lacking for a long time. We fell short in the first game (of the Asia Cup) against Pakistan as we did not have batting depth in the team. We have three all-rounders, four seamers and seven batsmen in the squad," added Rohit.
Skipper Rohit also said that vice-captain Hardik Pandya "is a complete package and his form will be crucial for at the World Cup." The Men in Blue are keen to lay their hands of on an ICC Trophy as they last won the Champions Trophy in 2013, held in England.
India will begin their World Cup campaign against Australia on October 08, 2023, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. The 1983 and 2011 World Cup Champions will then take on Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on October 11, 2023, and then face Pakistan on October 14, 2023, at the world’s biggest cricket stadium - Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. The Rohit Sharma-led side will play their next five matches against Bangladesh, New Zealand, England, Sri Lanka and South Africa respectively before playing their final league-stage match against the Netherlands on November 12, 2023.
Squad - Rohit Sharma (Captain), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Axar Patel, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav.
