Late on Saturday night, the senior national selection committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selected the 15-player roster for the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. The annopuncement of the same will be done today (September 5). KL Rahul made the India team but Sanju Samson was left out for Ishan Kishan as a backup wicketkeeper.
The team was chosen by selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar, who travelled to Sri Lanka to meet with Indian captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid.
This meeting happened following the Asia Cup 2023 India vs Pakistan match in Kandy, which was called off after the first innings, according to the Indian Express.
Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, and Prasidh Krishna, who are currently in Sri Lanka for Asia Cup 2023, were left off of the India Team World Cup roster.
There were no huge shocks in store, as Agarkar has already stated that the selection committee will choose the World Cup squad from its Asia Cup 18-member roster.
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India Team ODI World Cup 2023 squad
Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and Suryakumar Yadav will lead India team batting order in the multi-nation event in addition to captain Rohit Sharma.
The selection committee and team management placed a strong focus on the depth of the batting lineup, which also resulted in the inclusion of allrounders Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Shardul Thakur.
In terms of bowling, the pace attack will be led by Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj, with spinner Kuldeep Yadav also making the team.
KL Rahul was picked in the squad after the medical staff gave the green signal to him and the selection committee talked about his fitness as well.
At the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, Rahul spent several hours batting and hitting the nets. He would reportedly be travelling to Sri Lanka to join the India team competing in the Asia Cup 2023 soon.
India Squad World Cup 2023: No point in waiting?
The BCCI intended to keep its selection committee in session on September 4 evening because it had till September 5 to submit its final World Cup squad to the International Cricket Council (ICC).
However, it is understood once the medical staff gave KL Rahul the green signal, BCCI selectors thought there was no point in wasting time.
KL Rahul had surgery on his right thigh and has been sidelined from the India Team for the past three and a half months. He has been a regular in the starting XI and will likely wear the gloves during the World Cup 2023 as well.
