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India announce their 15-member 2023 World Cup squad

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In perhaps the biggest news KL Rahul has found his way into the group, deemed fit to take part ahead of their World Cup opener against Australia in Chennai on 8 October.

Rahul injured his thigh earlier in the year at the IPL, though has been training at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, and will likely join his India teammates during the latter stages of the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka. With Rahul in the squad, Sanju Samson has missed out, as well as Tilak Varma and Prasidh Krishna as other omissions.

Captain Rohit Sharma leads the batting group, with Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav all named, as well as Ishan Kishan who provides another keeping option. All-rounders Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur have also been named in an emphasis on batting options.

After showing no signs of injury upon his return, Jasprit Bumrah spearheads the bowling group, with Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj likely the first-choice pace group. Kuldeep Yadav is the side’s leading spin option.

India 15-player squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj.

All the teams have until 28 September to make any changes to the squad, after which any alterations will be subject to approval from ICC.
 
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Pretty much as expected. Decent squad but, is it good enough to win the WC? That is something only time can tell. Surely home conditions and support would help.
 
Trash squad. No chance of winning the World Cup just like in 2019 when we went in with 4 wicket-keepers and 3 spinners instead of selecting the extra fast bowler.
 
Nothing special about this squad. A lot of players will need to punch above their weight for India to win WC
 
suryakumar yadav is there He still managed to get into the team
 
Since this is a send-off cup to Rohit Sharma (probably VK too, but he may limp his way to next world cup like Dhoni) we can't have much expectations. He is creating multiple problems to the team 1) Blocking way to a potential left hand opener Jaiswal who can be more effective overall (in terms of strike-rate & handling the new ball) 2) Upsetting the balance of the team and stacking the team with right handers 3) His Captaincy is outdated.

Rohit should have ideally captained the previous world cup where his mind was fresh and body was more active (and form was better). He will be the main reason this time why we may again end up at SF stage (like Dhoni last time)
 
For teams like India & Pakistan to win world cup, every star & planet has to align in the proper line on its own! (Like it happened for Kapil Dev & Dhoni - where they got perfect team with no outdated players and all new players were seasoned which happens very rarely on its own!) Though these two countries produce top players they will always fail to form a proper team due to politics and other unavoidable factors!

Australia & England (now that they are taking LOIs seriously and non-English conditions seriously) will continue to win most world cups because of their strong actions in setting up teams and how they execute on the field....This time also they are the favourites!
 
Where is Umran?

Why does Sharduk Thakur keep making the team? Is he a decent batsman? I’ve only seen him with the ball and he seems very average.
 
Nikhil_cric said:
Trash squad. No chance of winning the World Cup just like in 2019 when we went in with 4 wicket-keepers and 3 spinners instead of selecting the extra fast bowler.
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Why do they not select genuine fast bowlers anymore like Umran?
 
Nikhil_cric said:
Trash squad. No chance of winning the World Cup just like in 2019 when we went in with 4 wicket-keepers and 3 spinners instead of selecting the extra fast bowler.
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Nikhil_cric said:
Trash squad. No chance of winning the World Cup just like in 2019 when we went in with 4 wicket-keepers and 3 spinners instead of selecting the extra fast bowler.
Click to expand...

Joint favourites with England and Australia.

I'd have selected Tilak instead of Sky otherwise world class squad.
 
India have confirmed their 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

As expected, the roster is a trimmed version of the Asia Cup squad with three players – Tilak Varma, Prasidh Krishna and Sanju Samson – missing out on the World Cup squad.

Captain Rohit Sharma forms the top order along with Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli. Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav make up the middle order. Rahul and Kishan will also be India’s choice behind the wickets.
All-rounder options include Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur. Jasprit Bumrah spearheads the bowling group, with Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj completing the pace bowling group. Kuldeep Yadav is the side’s leading spin option.

We look at some of the key takeaways from the squad which was announced on Tuesday, 5 September.
Rahul’s fitness was being assessed from the perspective of his availability as a batter and as well as a keeper. The star player provides much-needed support in the middle order, while also fulfilling the keeper’s duties.

This was of utmost importance in a side already heavily stacked with top-order options, namely Rohit, Gill and Kohli. This meant that even an opener like Rahul was forced to bat in the middle-order.

But the Karnataka player helped his case with a splendid run in the middle. In 18 games, Rahul aggregated 742 runs at an average of 53 and a strike rate of close to 100.

India’s trouble with their other keeping options were either lack of form (Sanju Samson) or success in the middle-order (Kishan).

However, Kishan’s run of form in the middle-order against Pakistan helps ease some pressure off Rahul. This gives India some flexibility, including a scenario where Rahul plays as a pure batter, while Kishan keeps wickets.

This can help the right-hander ease back into the side without straining himself too much by proving himself as a keeper as well.

SKY gets the backing as the backup

India’s Asia Cup squad kept Tilak Varma and Samson in the mix along with Suryakumar Yadav. This was for the extra middle-order batter role. This was down to the fact that Suryakumar hasn’t been able to seal his spot as a middle-order batter.

The Mumbai batter has scored 511 runs in 26 games, at an average of 24.33 and with two half-centuries.

His ODI run in 2023 has remained unimpressive. He scored four runs in a game against Sri Lanka in January 2023. He followed this with 45 runs in two games against New Zealand. Come March, his form dipped further when he fell for three consecutive ducks against Australia. His returns improved marginally against the West Indies, where he scored 78 runs in three innings.

Still, the selectors have shown faith in Suryakumar. Perhaps the decision came down to the lack of experience or success of his competitors. Suryakumar also hit form, albeit in T20I format, against West Indies with scores of 61 and 83 in his last two T20I innings.

Recent failures sting Samson

At one stage this year, Samson could’ve laid strong claims to a place in the Indian side. He could’ve taken the backup batter spot in the middle order. Being a keeper also helped.

However, the Kerala player ran out of form at the wrong time. Since the West Indies tour, Samson has averaged 22.16 across formats in seven opportunities.

Before the tour, he averaged an impressive 66 in ODIs but those numbers have dropped after the two games against West Indies.

With selectors backing Suryakumar in the middle-order and following the return of Rahul, who is an added option with the gloves, Samson finds himself out of the 15-member squad.

Lack of part-time options lead to backing of all-rounders

India have picked four all-round options in Pandya, Shardul, Jadeja and Axar. It is quite clear that the Men in Blue are giving importance to their batting capabilities down the order. This showed in their recent game against Pakistan at the Asia Cup when the team went with eight batting options.

The presence of these all-rounders has meant that some of the specialist bowlers like Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal and Umran Malik among others miss out on a World Cup berth. This boils down to the lack of bowling options in the India batting unit.

India could’ve perhaps adjusted a bowler or two if some of their batters were adept at turning their arms over. But the absence of these part-time options means that India had to boost up their all-round quota to the maximum.
 
It's the expected squad of a decent group of players and two ODI ATGs who are on the wrong side of their careers. if this world cup was being held anywhere other than India I'd say they might not even make it out of the opening round but in those conditions India are still faves.
 
This squad is a complete disaster with KL Rahul, Rohit, Kohli, and Jadeja. They're gonna wreck India's chances in the rest of the Asia Cup and WC 23. Seriously, even the Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi teams seem a hundred times better than this Indian bunch. They're all one-dimensional, and not a single lefty in the top 3. Ugh, it's infuriating!
 
Idkw people are saying it's a bad squad.

Only problem I see is rohit and SKY but rohit is Captain and he had to make the team. Besides rohit it's a pretty good team.

1) Rohit (C)
2) Ishan Kishan
3) Kholi
4) Sheryas Iyer
5) KL Rahul
6) Pandya
7) Jadeja
8-11) Bowlers.

The issue is a weak tail and jadeja being a useless no 7.

But ishan, Kholi, Sheryas, Rahul, pandya make a pretty strong middle order.

Ideally kishan and Shubman should open but that's not happening due to rohit.
 
GLORY OF '92 said:
Joint favourites with England and Australia.

I'd have selected Tilak instead of Sky otherwise world class squad.
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ExpressPacer said:
Why do they not select genuine fast bowlers anymore like Umran?
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Umran or lack thereof won't make any difference. The issue is the balance of the Indian team. No team in the history of ODI cricket has won with a batting combination of 4 batsman + 1 wicket-keeper. India has Hardik at 6 and a fraud like Jadeja at 7.

And the TM and even previous so-called geniuses like Dhoni kept saying part time spin won't work anymore etc. It's a stupid line of thought. A batsman from top 6 should easily be able to give 5-6 overs of off spin per match.

Because we don't play anyone like that, we are forced to pick Hardik at 6, Fraudeja at 7 and Shardul at 8 for his batting.

If we played Varma in the middle order and got 5 overs of spin from him, dropped Jadeja, played Hardik at 7 and played Prasidh ahead of Fraudul Thakur, at least that would have given us a chance at the cup.

England, Australia and Pakistan are favourites. India will only make semis if Saffers choke early AND NZ struggle in Indian conditions like they historically do.

This team needs luck to even make semis.
 
I don't know what people are on about, this is a pretty solid squad. SKY is a questionable pick but if they're in a good spot and he comes in with 10 overs to go it's a great selection.
 
mominsaigol said:
Idkw people are saying it's a bad squad.

Only problem I see is rohit and SKY but rohit is Captain and he had to make the team. Besides rohit it's a pretty good team.

1) Rohit (C)
2) Ishan Kishan
3) Kholi
4) Sheryas Iyer
5) KL Rahul
6) Pandya
7) Jadeja
8-11) Bowlers.

The issue is a weak tail and jadeja being a useless no 7.

But ishan, Kholi, Sheryas, Rahul, pandya make a pretty strong middle order.

Ideally kishan and Shubman should open but that's not happening due to rohit.
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Top 6 are all right handers. Ishan and Rahul won't play together. No part time spinner to play extra batter. 7 and 8 are duds with both bat and ball - Jadeja and Thakur. It's a terrible squad.
 
Nikhil_cric said:
Top 6 are all right handers. Ishan and Rahul won't play together. No part time spinner to play extra batter. 7 and 8 are duds with both bat and ball - Jadeja and Thakur. It's a terrible squad.
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Right handers or left handers doesn't matter if they score runs.

Kholi despite what people say is solid world class. Sheryas Iyer is a proper no 4, and has been World class at that position. Ishan kishan is perfect at no 5, great back foot player of spin and a good striker over all.

Pandya is a good finisher and is underrated by everyone who think he's just a random slogger.

The only weakness is an extremely extremely long tail and rohit being a liability in opening shubman Gill has also lost his form since he looked like a tail ender during the West indies series and against Pakistan.
 
mominsaigol said:
Right handers or left handers doesn't matter if they score runs.

Kholi despite what people say is solid world class. Sheryas Iyer is a proper no 4, and has been World class at that position. Ishan kishan is perfect at no 5, great back foot player of spin and a good striker over all.

Pandya is a good finisher and is underrated by everyone who think he's just a random slogger.

The only weakness is an extremely extremely long tail and rohit being a liability in opening shubman Gill has also lost his form since he looked like a tail ender during the West indies series and against Pakistan.
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The right-left combinations do matter. I'm not sure why you think it doesn't. Kohli has been pretty average since 2020 in all formats. In ODI's he has bashed SL and BD in this period but done little else. He's not a number 3 anymore because he can't play any decent spinners.

Pandya is terrific but should not bat at 6. Him coming in at 7 gives us depth.
 
Pathetic squad. Lol, so many passengers. Rahul's selection is so cringeworthy despite not playing a single game for God knows how many months.
 
India has invested in KL Rahul too much to discard him in favor of Samson.

I would have picked Arshdeep in place of Shami. Siraj and Shami are similar bowlers. India does not need both of them. Shami goes for plenty in ODI's and T20's. Siraj is much better than him.

Between Axar and Washington, I would have picked Washi. Again Axar and Jaddu are similar type bowlers. Sundar can bat as good as Axar.

I believe Gill is lucky to be in the squad. He is extremely badly out of form for a while. His innings against Nepal was also a nothing one. Anyone would have spanked that baby bowling.

I believe selectors did not see enough of guys like Tilak and Rinku to be in the squad. SKY got in because of what he can do in the final 10 overs. Its a decent squad considering the options we have.

Kishan
Rohit
Gill
Kohli
Jaddu
SKY/Iyer/KL
Pandya
Axar
Siraj
Bumrah
Kuldeep

Kishan must open. Gill is not an opener.
Jaddu must come ahead of SKY if SKY plays. If both Hardik and SKY are playing the final 10 overs, India can easily score over 100 runs.
Jaddu must come after Iyer if Iyer plays.
Even if KL plays, he should not keep or open. He should come 5 down.
 
At best this squad will fetch them no 6 position on the table
 
Nikhil_cric said:
The right-left combinations do matter. I'm not sure why you think it doesn't. Kohli has been pretty average since 2020 in all formats. In ODI's he has bashed SL and BD in this period but done little else. He's not a number 3 anymore because he can't play any decent spinners.

Pandya is terrific but should not bat at 6. Him coming in at 7 gives us depth.
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Kholi has regressed since his 2016 days I agree. But he single handedly won against Pakistan last year from a near impossible 28 of 8 deliveries required position.

He's a solid player, a great accumulator who has the 4th and 5th gear as well.

Who would you play at no 6? Jadeja is in the team for his bowling, remove him and spin department is weak, only one spinner and 4 pacers, with hardik being an average pacer who's their to provide support to India's main 3.

If you play sky at no 6, then guarantee sky will fail, sky is beyond bad at odi, and india's bowling will be weak since relying on 5 bowlers can be catastrophic is even 2 bowlers aren't pulling their weight. That's why a 6th option is needed, look at how badly Nepal was bashing Indian pacers before kudleep and jadeja stepped in?

Ideally the best team for india would be

1) Gill
2) Ishan
3) Kholi
4) Sheryas
5) Rahul
6) Jadeja
7) Pandya
8-11) Bowlers

But that won't happen due to rohit occupying the slot at no 1/2.

Putting sky in for jadeja will ruin the bowling and you might have another repeat of what England Did to india last t20 world cup, England would have scored 400+ against India in 2019 world cup if it wasn't for the 6th option which restricted England to 330+.
 
mominsaigol said:
Idkw people are saying it's a bad squad.

Only problem I see is rohit and SKY but rohit is Captain and he had to make the team. Besides rohit it's a pretty good team.

1) Rohit (C)
2) Ishan Kishan
3) Kholi
4) Sheryas Iyer
5) KL Rahul
6) Pandya
7) Jadeja
8-11) Bowlers.

The issue is a weak tail and jadeja being a useless no 7.

But ishan, Kholi, Sheryas, Rahul, pandya make a pretty strong middle order.

Ideally kishan and Shubman should open but that's not happening due to rohit.
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You think prince gill will warm the bench?
 
heddie19 said:
You think prince gill will warm the bench?
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No he won't, India won't change, I basically evaluated their best options.

Ideally kishan and Gill should open but that won't happen.

However if Gill keeps going the way he's going, I could see kishan being opted for Gill in high pressure games.

Honestly all of you are underrating India, its a strong team but the current Indian team going is much weaker then their 2019/2015 and 2011 squad.
 
mominsaigol said:
Kholi has regressed since his 2016 days I agree. But he single handedly won against Pakistan last year from a near impossible 28 of 8 deliveries required position.

He's a solid player, a great accumulator who has the 4th and 5th gear as well.

Who would you play at no 6? Jadeja is in the team for his bowling, remove him and spin department is weak, only one spinner and 4 pacers, with hardik being an average pacer who's their to provide support to India's main 3.

If you play sky at no 6, then guarantee sky will fail, sky is beyond bad at odi, and india's bowling will be weak since relying on 5 bowlers can be catastrophic is even 2 bowlers aren't pulling their weight. That's why a 6th option is needed, look at how badly Nepal was bashing Indian pacers before kudleep and jadeja stepped in?

Ideally the best team for india would be

1) Gill
2) Ishan
3) Kholi
4) Sheryas
5) Rahul
6) Jadeja
7) Pandya
8-11) Bowlers

But that won't happen due to rohit occupying the slot at no 1/2.

Putting sky in for jadeja will ruin the bowling and you might have another repeat of what England Did to india last t20 world cup, England would have scored 400+ against India in 2019 world cup if it wasn't for the 6th option which restricted England to 330+.
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So, he played 1 clutch innings in 3 years in a different format and he's a great option in ODI's at #3? OK.

I don't care about the spin department. If we play Jadeja at 7, then we have to play Shardul at 8 and that weakens the pace department. They could have just played Varma in the middle order and got him to bowl a few overs and played 3 genuine quicks + Kuldeep.

Jadeja can't bat fast enough for a #7. His bowling has been overrated in LOI's for 10 years. Just look at his numbers vs top sides after CT 2013.
 
mominsaigol said:
No he won't, India won't change, I basically evaluated their best options.

Ideally kishan and Gill should open but that won't happen.

However if Gill keeps going the way he's going, I could see kishan being opted for Gill in high pressure games.

Honestly all of you are underrating India, its a strong team but the current Indian team going is much weaker then their 2019/2015 and 2011 squad.
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I agree with you but Ishy Kishy won't play if Rahul is in the team.
 
heddie19 said:
I agree with you but Ishy Kishy won't play if Rahul is in the team.
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Why? Ishan is significantly better then Rahul?

Rahul was a horrible odi bat and he is decent in the middle but if India collapses like they did with Pakistan Rahul ain't getting you out of it. Rahul is horrible is he comes in early at the crease, and his strike rate is poor.

India is making a mistake, play Rahul but have ishan open or just don't play Rahul at all.

Although ishan is garbage keeper, Rahul is 100x better that keeping.
 
Gill
Sharma
Kohli
Iyer
Kishan
Pandya
Jadeja
Thakur
Bumrah
Shami
Kuldeep
 
shamaan said:
Definitely not they already have Jadeja who i believe is better.
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but thakur presence seems awful to me.. they should go for any better option in place of him like any proffessional batter like KL Rahul or SKY.
 
The weakest world cup squad for decades.

India are lucky they are playing at home so can choose flat tracks or rank turners, otherwise no chance of getting to semis.
 
mominsaigol said:
Why? Ishan is significantly better then Rahul?

Rahul was a horrible odi bat and he is decent in the middle but if India collapses like they did with Pakistan Rahul ain't getting you out of it. Rahul is horrible is he comes in early at the crease, and his strike rate is poor.

India is making a mistake, play Rahul but have ishan open or just don't play Rahul at all.

Although ishan is garbage keeper, Rahul is 100x better that keeping.
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With Rohit in the team, you can only play 2/3 of these players. Ishan is a worse keeper than Rahul as you mentioned that's why Rahul will be preferred. Gill is a better batter, better opener than Ishan, hence Gill will play. All of this moves ishy kishy to the bench. That is my point
 
Even Nepal gave a tough time to indian bowlers. No doubt India has best batting attack but bowler was always reason for the loss.
 
Following are the World class players in the squad.

Rohit
Gill
Kohli
Hardik
Bumrah
Kuldeep

Playing at home also gives a big edge. India will make the semis at least but I'd be surprised if they don't make the final. Pakistan spin is non existent as is the middle order. No. 1 ranking is completely worthless.

India v England/ Australia final is almost a certainty.
 
heddie19 said:
With Rohit in the team, you can only play 2/3 of these players. Ishan is a worse keeper than Rahul as you mentioned that's why Rahul will be preferred. Gill is a better batter, better opener than Ishan, hence Gill will play. All of this moves ishy kishy to the bench. That is my point
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I mean Gill hasn't been better then ishan since the West indies series Gill has been out of form.
 
heddie19 said:
With Rohit in the team, you can only play 2/3 of these players. Ishan is a worse keeper than Rahul as you mentioned that's why Rahul will be preferred. Gill is a better batter, better opener than Ishan, hence Gill will play. All of this moves ishy kishy to the bench. That is my point
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Considering Ishaan Kishan's excellent form and his superb touch excluding him in favor of KL Rahul is not a beneficial decision for India.
 
I love how everyone is divided. Some are saying India will win while others are saying India won't even make semi's lol.
 
Since covid there hasn't been any serious ODI cricket where you would see full strength squads competing in full force.
If Rohit is at 70% of his WC 2019 form, on Indian tracks he can win 4-5 out of 9 group matches on his own.
Kohli was not in form prior to Asia cup 2022 but found his groove in the marquee tournament. It all depends on his focus and his mental zone. ODIs are the format where he has shown how to chase 350s like a stroll in park.
Siraj, Bumrah, Shami and Kuldeep should all play and Pandya should be 5th bowler. Get a few overs from Iyer, Kohli, Rohit. 6 bowlers is an overkill. Will allow Kishan to play with Rahul.
KL is a weak link though. One of the most dubious selections in world cricket with Bavuma.
 
Adi.k said:
Even Nepal gave a tough time to indian bowlers. No doubt India has best batting attack but bowler was always reason for the loss.
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Our batting is poor since 2018.
 
GLORY OF '92 said:
Following are the World class players in the squad.

Rohit
Gill
Kohli
Hardik
Bumrah
Kuldeep

Playing at home also gives a big edge. India will make the semis at least but I'd be surprised if they don't make the final. Pakistan spin is non existent as is the middle order. No. 1 ranking is completely worthless.

India v England/ Australia final is almost a certainty.
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Our only hope is that last 3 ODI WCs have been won by home teams so that may do something for us otherwise we've chosen a pathetic team for a home WC.
 
GLORY OF '92 said:
Following are the World class players in the squad.

Rohit
Gill
Kohli
Hardik
Bumrah
Kuldeep

Playing at home also gives a big edge. India will make the semis at least but I'd be surprised if they don't make the final. Pakistan spin is non existent as is the middle order. No. 1 ranking is completely worthless.

India v England/ Australia final is almost a certainty.
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Is Gill world class? How so?
 
I think it's a very average squad. Bowling with bumrah back is strong but shami is past his peak.

batting is a bit overrated. Number 7 and 8 can't really bat. Long tail.
 
India did a huge mistake by not picking Washi Sundar in the squad. He could be a reliable 5th bowler and he can bat too. Instead they preferred Thakur.
Thakur would have been okay for overseas. But in India, Sundar would be a better option. He will lengthen Indian batting lineup and can be used as a pinch hitter or a six hitter at No.8 or 9. He is a more reliable batter than Thakur.
 
Champ_Pal said:
India did a huge mistake by not picking Washi Sundar in the squad. He could be a reliable 5th bowler and he can bat too. Instead they preferred Thakur.
Thakur would have been okay for overseas. But in India, Sundar would be a better option. He will lengthen Indian batting lineup and can be used as a pinch hitter or a six hitter at No.8 or 9. He is a more reliable batter than Thakur.
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Washington Sundar to Shardul "ye spaaat... ye spaaat mujhey de de thaaakurrrrrr!!!"
 
As all our batsmen are completely out of form or unreliable,we have to follow wc 2003 approach with 7 batsmen plus 4 bowlers.

We can't have unreliable Thankur for big matches. We can't have axar supporting jadeja, it will be identical attack.

Have kl in place of thakur for next match and ask pandya to bowl full quota .Rohith and Kohli can chip in with 2 or 3 overs if situation is fine.
If it works ,we can stick with same combination for the big matches in wc.
 
Three people are out of form but do posses talent to change that in 1 game. Suryakumar, KL,Kohli. These 3 are the trump cards as well as weak links at same time. Depends on the day if it goes their way or not.
Thakur is gonna be the game changer as everyone underestimating him. He is very deceptive and can surprise many with his bowling and batting.he definitely is not star material but can be handy

Many flaws in team but still a strong team at same time .In my opinion a little bit of luck is needed to go all the way.
But then again thats true for every team every world cup sonce 1983 (only Australia in 2003 and 2007 looked invincible amd not luck dependent in history of odi world cups)
 
In home conditions, there are favorites but they won't find it as easy to beat Pakistan (if they end up facing each other in a knockout game) because they won't be bowling to Misbah anymore.
 
Rohit
Gill
Kohli
Kishen
Jadeja
SKY
Pandya
Kuldeep
Bumrah
Shami
Siraj

Guys like Iyer and Rahul are going to be walking wickets in the middle order. SKY will have more impact at 6. Jadeja is better suited to middle order rather than at 7, as lately he bats too slow.
 
CricLegend said:
Rohit
Gill
Kohli
Kishen
Jadeja
SKY
Pandya
Kuldeep
Bumrah
Shami
Siraj

Guys like Iyer and Rahul are going to be walking wickets in the middle order. SKY will have more impact at 6. Jadeja is better suited to middle order rather than at 7, as lately he bats too slow.
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Sky is not a good player. He has a better t20 record. Failure in odi.
 
Aswin should be included. He has superb game awareness, is a great spinner and more than a handy batsman. He would compliment Kuldeep well. Another point, Kuldeep though yet to bat properly in Intl, is not an absolute dud in batting in domestic cricket, he has an FC century too. A 40ish score in tough conditions in Test match too
 
India captain Rohit Sharma has provided an update on several teammates as India step up their Cricket World Cup 2023 preparations.

While too strong for Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup Final at the R.Premadasa Stadium, India were without a number of key players, and the side's make-up for the home World Cup campaign is far from decided.

Clearing the air, the skipper is confident the side will have a clean bill of health before the tournament, with Axar Patel and Shreyas Iyer on the path to full fitness well before their 8 October opener.

Nursing both a wrist injury and a minor tear in his left quadricep, Axar's injuries are the team's worst across the group, missing the backend of India's victorious campaign.

Axar's skipper admitted the spin-bowling all-rounder will miss part of their World Cup lead-in series against Australia, though is confident of his availability for the tournament proper.

"It looks like maybe a week or ten days (to heal), I don’t know. We have to see how that injury progresses," Rohit stated after their ten-wicket win over Sri Lanka.

"Some guys recover quickly, and I hope that’s the case with him.

“I am not sure whether he will be able to play the first two games against Australia at home. But we will wait and see.”

Rohit also provided updates on Shreyas Iyer and Ravichandran Ashwin, with the former ruled "99% fit" for action.

Iyer was kept out of Asia Cup action with minor back spasms, though Rohit has been informed the key batter has all but completed his rehabilitation.

“Shreyas was not available for (the final) because certain parameters were kept for him to tick off. I think today he completed most of it. I should say he is alright 99 per cent as of now.

“But he looks good, he batted and fielded for long hours (as part of his build-up to full fitness), and he was on the ground long before we came to the ground. I don’t think it is a worry for us.”

As for Ashwin, Rohit stated the spin-bowling all-rounder is still in the running for a spot in India's Cricket World Cup squad, in spite of not being called up for the Asia Cup final as Axar's replacement.

Rohit stressed fellow all-rounder Washington Sundar was favoured given his availability at the 11th hour, having been readied for India's Asian Games effort in Hangzhou, China

“As a spinner-all-rounder, Ashwin is in line, I have been talking to him on the phone," Rohit reiterated.

"The injury happened to Axar at the last minute. Washington was available, so he had to come and perform the role for us.

“He (Washington) was cricket-fit because he was part of the Asian Games camp (in Bengaluru).

"I have been very clear with players about their roles. Everyone is in the loop.”
 
So seems Ashwin is in line for a recall for the World Cup?

==

India have recalled veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to the ODI squad for the three-match ODI series against Australia right before the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup that begins next month. Ashwin, who last played an ODI in January 2022, comes in as the third spinner behind Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja.

Notably, the off-spinner wasn’t a part of the 15-member World Cup squad India announced and did not make it to the Asia Cup either. The two ODIs against South Africa in 2022 were his first in five years in the fifty-overs format for India before he was sidelined again.

KL Rahul will lead the team in the first two games with regular skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli rested. The duo return for the final ODI with Rohit leading the side again.

Washington Sundar, who flew to Sri Lanka for the Asia Cup final, is also retained in both squads. Axar Patel, who injured himself ahead of the final, is recovering and will play the third ODI subject to fitness.

Rohit Sharma had revealed in the press conference after the Asia Cup that he was in talks with Ashwin.

“As a spinner-all-rounder, Ashwin is in line, I have been talking to him on the phone," Rohit said on Sunday.

"The injury happened to Axar at the last minute. Washington was available, so he had to come and perform the role for us. He (Washington) was cricket-fit because he was part of the Asian Games camp (in Bengaluru)."
 
and yet we wont be recalling imad and amir world cup comes after every 4 years and even for that they cant move on from the past and swallow there pride and ego for the sake of the team
 
If Pakistan had a spinner of Ashwin's calibre, he'd be the first one on a plane to India
 
CricLegend said:
Rohit
Gill
Kohli
Kishen
Jadeja
SKY
Pandya
Kuldeep
Bumrah
Shami
Siraj

Guys like Iyer and Rahul are going to be walking wickets in the middle order. SKY will have more impact at 6. Jadeja is better suited to middle order rather than at 7, as lately he bats too slow.
Click to expand...
In India's condition middle over
DJhant said:
Aswin should be included. He has superb game awareness, is a great spinner and more than a handy batsman. He would compliment Kuldeep well. Another point, Kuldeep though yet to bat properly in Intl, is not an absolute dud in batting in domestic cricket, he has an FC century too. A 40ish score in tough conditions in Test match too
Click to expand...
And thankfully Sharmaji read this thread :D
 
Kuldeep Yadav will probably be the most important player for team India in the World Cup. He has been in excellent form lately and he should cause lots of trouble for most of the batsmen on Indian pitches.
 
India’s policy of rotating their fast-bowling options ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 has received support from their veteran pacer.

India have practised a rotation policy for their seamers since the start of Asia Cup. This has meant that only two of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj,and Mohammed Shami have featured in the playing XI at any given time.

This has also meant that medium pacer Shardul Thakur, who is more adept with the bat, has received more chances. While this has helped extend India’s batting, this has meant that there are reduced opportunities for India’s full-time fast bowlers.

Shami, for one, featured in only two Asia Cup encounters. He played the first ODI against Australia at Mohali, and delivered a match-winning five-wicket haul.

Despite these returns, given the rotation policy, Shami's position in the playing XI isn't fixed. However, the Bengal pacer is unperturbed by these developments.

Source: ICC
 
Hundreds in September 2023:

Hundred for Shubman Gill.
Hundred for Virat Kohli.
Hundred for KL Rahul.
Hundred for Shreyas Iyer.
 
India have been forced to make a late change to their 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.

Axar Patel has failed to recover in time for the World Cup after sustaining a left quadriceps strain during India’s Asia Cup Super-Four encounter against Bangladesh. The spin-bowling all-rounder missed the final of the Asia Cup as a result.

Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has been named his replacement, who was impressive on his return to ODI cricket in the recently concluded series against Australia where he picked up four wickets in two games.

Axar too was named conditionally in the squad for the final ODI subject to his fitness but missed the game which India lost by 66 runs in Rajkot.

India have banked on the experience of Ashwin to fill the void left by Axar. Additionally, Ashwin brings in an off-spinning option that was previously missing in India's World Cup squad, which could prove to be crucial in the 46-day-long tournament when pitches begin to deteriorate.

The 37-year-old also has the familiarity of playing on the big stage, having featured in the 2011 and 2015 editions of the World Cup for India. In the tournament Down Under, Aswhin scalped 13 wickets in eight matches in India's run into the semi-final.

Rohit Sharma made it clear in the aftermath of the three-match ODI series against Australia that India are clear in their plans for the 15-member squad for the World Cup and any changes will not hamper their approach at the tournament.

When we talk about the 15 we are very clear what we want,the skipper said. We are not confused, we know where we are headed as a team. It's a team sport and we want everyone to come and play their part - that's how we win championships. It's about looking after the body and try and stay fresh for the next one and half months.

Despite Axar missing the World Cup, India have almost a full-strength side at their disposal with KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Jasprit Bumrah all making successful comeback from long-term injuries.

All three stars have made vital contributions in the games leading up to the tournament. Rahul announced his comeback with an incredible century against arch-rival Pakistan in the Super Four Asia Cup encounter. Iyer too struck a ton in the second ODI against Australia.

Bumrah has shown glimpses of returning to his best, which included a fiery spell against Pakistan in the Super Fours of the Asia Cup. The ace pacer put on a death bowling clinic against Australia in the final ODI after going for a run in his first two spells.

India begin their World Cup campaign on 7 October against Chennai against five-time Champions Australia. Before the tournament, Rohit Sharma's men will play two warm-up fixtures, the first against England on 30 September followed by the Netherlands on 3 October.

India World Cup squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav.
 
So Ashwin makes it - was inevitable, wasn't it?
 
India have been in stupendous form leading up to the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 at home and with their key players returning from injury and hitting the ground running, the hosts will settle for nothing less than a third CWC trophy in the cabinet.

Squad

Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav.

Best finish at the tournament
Winner (1983, 2011)

India were shock winners in the 1983 World Cup, beating the mighty West Indies, who were on course for a hat-trick of title wins, in the final of the tournament.

In 2011, under MS Dhoni, India went on to win their first Cricket World Cup at home in a thrilling final against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

In one of the greatest finishes recorded in the World Cup's history, India scripted a title win they would be hoping to replicate this time around.

Results in the last 10 ODI games
(Most recent first): L W W W L W W W NR W

Fixtures

vs Australia (8 October), Chennai

vs Afghanistan (11 October), Delhi

vs Pakistan (14 October), Ahmedabad

vs Bangladesh (19 October), Pune

vs New Zealand (22 October), Dharamsala

vs England (29 October), Lucknow

vs Sri Lanka (2 November), Mumbai

vs South Africa (5 November), Kolkata

vs Netherlands (12 November), Bengaluru


Key Match
vs Pakistan (14 October)

India boast a 7-0 record in Cricket World Cups against Pakistan, and being favourites to win at home in this tournament, the hosts will be backing themselves to add to that record. However, not all is as easy as it seems against a mercurial Pakistan pace attack as India have found out more than once recently.

Despite the injury to Naseem Shah, Pakistan have a pompous array of quicks that can turn up and decimate teams on their day. The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will host this much-awaited fixture and will be just the second match at this venue in this tournament.

A fresh wicket would definitely put Pakistan's quicks in play, but India have the batting quality to counter that while also possessing a strong group of fast bowlers themselves. The two teams have jostled for the top spot in the MRF Tyres ICC Men's Team Rankings in the weeks leading up to the World Cup and all of that lends an extra bit of spice to this already flavoursome battle.

India will have the edge having beaten Pakistan recently in the Asia Cup, and going on to win the title in emphatic fashion before taking the top rankings spot with a series victory over Australia. Pakistan finished fourth behind the other Asian giants in the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup, but with the likes of Haris Rauf poised to return from injury, they will be no pushovers, especially if the new ball bowlers can make a few early inroads.

Key Player
Jasprit Bumrah

Back from injury, Jasprit Bumrah took little time to show what his presence does to India's bowling attack as a whole. In his first over after a year, Bumrah sent back two Ireland batters in a T20I in Dublin and walked away with the Player of the Match award.

Bumrah's absence profoundly affected India's bowling attack at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup last year in Australia and keeping the pacer fit and fresh for the big games would be of utmost priority to the hosts.

The benefits of that were seen during the last Cricket World Cup in England in 2019 when Bumrah snared 18 wickets in nine matches at an average of 20.61.

His recent spell against Pakistan's top-order in the Asia Cup was just another example of how he could turn contests in a matter of a few balls. While he only has eight wickets in six ODIs since his return, Bumrah's ability to work over batters hugely benefits the bowlers from the other end too, an often underappreciated facet in a bowler's limited-overs career.

While India possess a strong batting line-up, two brilliant limited-overs all-rounders and a strong spin attack, Bumrah gives this squad the real edge it needs to go all the way in a tournament like this.

Summary

India have everything going their way in the lead up to the World Cup with multiple checkboxes ticked. A palatable group of batters, with a perfect concoction of experience and brashness, makes them one of the strongest batting line-ups in the competition.

Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill form one of the best opening pairs in the format in world cricket today and are followed by a quality middle-order that has Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja. Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan too adorn this world-class batting unit.

The bowling group has produced otherworldly performances in recent times and there's a good blend of every bowling type up their sleeve as they go in pursuit of a home title. Led by Bumrah, the pace attack has Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami and Shardul Thakur.

The one facet of India's World Cup that will be interesting to watch out for is how they choose to line-up — go heavy on batting or back their best group of bowlers at the expense of batting depth. With several of their bowlers not classified among the greatest tailenders going around, India will ponder if they should go with extra batting depth even if it comes at a cost.

This tricky balance could make or break India's tournament and a horses-for-courses approach in terms of how they form the XI could be the key to unlocking the title win. They could choose to go with Thakur or Ravichandran Ashwin at No.8 based on conditions or go all out with their three best seamers, who also form their best Test pace attack, and in-form spinner Kuldeep Yadav on batting tracks where batting depth might not be as significant.

Will Rahul Dravid and Co. nail down the right template for the XI? With more than enough options to choose from a problem of plenty across departments, getting their playing XI formula spot on would be India's biggest concern.

ICC
 
DJhant said:
Aswin should be included. He has superb game awareness, is a great spinner and more than a handy batsman. He would compliment Kuldeep well. Another point, Kuldeep though yet to bat properly in Intl, is not an absolute dud in batting in domestic cricket, he has an FC century too. A 40ish score in tough conditions in Test match too
Click to expand...
Well kuldeep is good defender, not an attacking player.. he can hang around if there's a good bat other end...
 
Seems like Axar is deliberately declared injured by BCCI only to include R Ashwin in the squad.
Thoughts.
 
Unbiased-Fan said:
Seems like Axar is deliberately declared injured by BCCI only to include R Ashwin in the squad.
Thoughts.
Click to expand...
Axar is a much better batsman than Ashwin when it comes to lower order hitting. However, Ashwin is a great wicket taking option in middle overs over Axar.

Overall, replacing Axar with Ashwin is not a significant loss for India. Ashwin will not start anyway. First choice spinners will be Kuldeep and Jaddu.
 
India coach Rahul Dravid has revealed star opener Shubman Gill is some chance of taking on Australia in his side's ICC Men's Cricket World Cup opener against Australia.

Gill has been battling an illness ahead of India's clash against the Aussies in Chennai on Sunday, but Dravid said the 24-year-old is yet to be ruled out of the contest.

He’s certainly feeling better today, Dravid said on Friday.

The medical team is monitoring on daily basis. We have 36 hours, we’ll see what decision they take. He’s certainly feeling better today.

Pressed further on whether the star opener would take on Australia, Dravid said the right-hander was still in contention to play.

Medical team hasn’t ruled him out as yet, Dravid said.

We’ll keep monitoring him on a day-to-day basis. We’ll see how he feels day after tomorrow.

If Gill is ruled out of the clash with Australian then fellow youngster Ishan Kishan may partner skipper Rohit Sharma at the top of the India order, while experienced batter KL Rahul is another option.

Source: ICC
 
Suresh Raina: India are ready to deal with weight of expectation.

I am writing this from Delhi and the whole country is excited ahead of India’s first game against Australia on Sunday.
When India are playing at home, we know how much expectation there is but the team must try and play the situation. We won the World Cup here in 2011, Australia won in Australia in 2015 and England won on home soil four years ago. There is a very good opportunity here for India to win the World Cup in front of their own fans and I am confident they can do it.

I have that confidence for several reasons. We have a very good bowling line-up who know how to bowl in the conditions. Ravi Ashwin, who was part of our winning squad in 2011, is now in the squad and adds that experience, and having Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj firing again after their injuries is massive. Our pace attack complements each other well and Bumrah, in particular, is looking sorted now. He has recovered well, and he is a very important player in this World Cup.

With the bat, Virat Kohli will anchor the show and look to bat through the overs. We also have a very solid opening pair. Shubman Gill averages over 60 in ODI cricket and Rohit Sharma has scored three double centuries in this format – and hit five centuries at the last World Cup. If the top three can bat 25-30 overs, we can easily put a lot of runs on the board.

Winning the Asia Cup will give the team confidence, but the World Cup will bring a different pressure. The whole of India wants India to win this trophy. It is different to 2011, too. Back then, there was nowhere near as much social media. Nowadays, every player has Twitter, Instagram, Facebook – every player will feel that pressure.

But as professional athletes, they have to ignore that and just enjoy the World Cup, enjoy playing in front of these fans and thrive on the support. Diwali is coming and there will be lots of celebrations, so they just need to enjoy each and every game. One mistake can leave you out of a World Cup, especially when you get to the latter stages. They need to be very focused, very mentally strong and enjoy this format.

Sunday’s match in Chennai will be a great game. Australia are five-time champions and are a very strong all-round team. Most of their players have played in the IPL so they know the wickets and the Indian players.

Australia will come hard at India, and everybody wants to start well, but it is not always possible. Look at England – they went from looking like they were going to score 340/350 but they kept losing wickets, and New Zealand didn’t have any problems chasing it down. That shows the quality in this World Cup.

On a personal level, any World Cup match between India and Australia brings back memories of the quarter-final in 2011, a game full of pressure. Australia were the holders and the favourites to win it again.

We were chasing 261 and when [MS] Dhoni was out, I joined Yuvraj Singh at 187 for five. We had to dig in, we had to take responsibility and play the ball, not the occasion and that’s what me and Yuvi did. In a quarter-final against the reigning champions, you need to bring your a-game and we delivered.

I remember the stadium being full of fans shouting and screaming and before I went in to bat, I was sitting with Sachin. He told me to go out there, take the chase deep, stay calm and breathe. He told me I could do it and I had already played 100 ODIs by that time, so I knew how to play those crucial knocks. I was very calm and composed and I thought let’s do it for India.

Hopefully, this weekend will bring a similar result, but I do think Australia will also compete for the trophy. I see them, New Zealand, England and India as the main challengers – but don’t overlook Afghanistan.

They have spinners who can bowl 30 overs really well so if they can score 260-290, those bowlers can change the game in two overs. They have some good batting all-rounders, and they are playing with a purpose, they are a united team who have courage and play with enjoyment. I think they will impress everyone.

This weekend, however, my focus will be on India. I cannot wait to see how this squad take to the challenge and I am expecting a classic between two world-class teams.
 
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