India Squad WTC Final: With Hanuma Vihari dropped from the central contract, it might have seemed the end of the road for him. But with Shreyas Iyer out of the WTC Final with a back injury, the selectors are mulling a recall for the out of favour batter. While he may not be a first-choice player but with the batting line-up depleted, selectors could give him a recall. Suryakumar Yadav will still retain his place even though his long format form has been concerning. Furthermore, Shubman Gill is set for a new role in the middle order at least in overseas Tests. The squad is expected to be announced in the first week of May. Follow India vs Australia World Test Championship Final LIVE Updates on InsideSport.IN.
Hanuma Vihari has had ups and downs throughout his India stint. The last time he played a Test for India was back in England last year in Birmingham. With underwhelming performances, he was dropped and then removed from BCCI central contracts.
“Shreyas was an important player for us. His injury is a big setback no doubt. Hanuma is being discussed. He is a very experienced player and has done well in the past against Australia. He is also well-experienced playing in England. Selectors will take a call in the selection meeting,” a senior BCCI official told InsideSport.
New role for Shubman Gill in overseas Tests:
With the form Shubman Gill is currently in, he has cemented his spot in all three formats. The youngster is a certainty in WTC Final squad. However, team management has immense trust in KL Rahul. Hence, he will keep his place at least in England. And he is also certain to open with Rohit Sharma barring any late injury.
That will force Shubman Gill to play in the middle-order at No 5 in place of Iyer. There had been talks of playing Shubman in the middle order and now it is going to be the norm at least in overseas conditions. That will make both Suryakumar Yadav and Hanuma Vihari only travelling reserves.
KL Rahul won’t keep in WTC Final:
However, it is increasingly unlikely that KL Rahul will be the designated wicketkeeper in WTC Final. With Rishabh Pant out and KS Bharat failing to make an impression, there were talks of KL Rahul being the keeper-batter in place of Bharat.
However, the selectors don’t believe Rahul can keep for 90 overs in Tests. That is one reason why Rahul is not keeping in IPL 2023 for Lucknow Super Giants. As he is going to be a crucial batter in England, selectors are ready to consider KS Bharat as the designated keeper. But Ishan Kishan too will travel as a reserve.
“He is doing well in ODIs as a keeper. But in Tests, you need a specialist who can keep for 90-100 overs. Considering his history of injuries, it will put him under a lot of stress. He is going to be a crucial batter and we can’t risk him as the keeper yet,” the BCCI official told InsideSport.
Rahul Dravid to fly to England early
With the BCCI instructing bowlers to ramp up preparations for the WTC Final, head coach Rahul Dravid and his entourage will travel to London as early as last week of May. The first phase of departure will include players who will not be playing the IPL 2023 playoffs. India will have a short camp under Dravid before the entire squad assembles on June 1.
The other change in the squad will be the size. Instead of naming a 16-member squad, BCCI can only carry 15 official players with others as travelling reserves. The deadline for the squad submission is May 7.
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