Suryakumar Yadav was able to retain his ODI position after India announced a 15-man squad for the World Cup next month. With KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer recently returning to the 50-over setup after recovering from long-term injuries, it appeared to be a three-horse race between Suryakumar, newcomer Tilak Varma, and wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson for the backup middle order position. However, the 32-year-old has won the contest.
Suryakumar, the world’s best T20I batsman, has struggled to replicate his success in ODI cricket, failing to reach fifty in his last 18 innings. Recently, he has filled multiple duties in the middle order in Rahul and Iyer’s absence, with the team management continuing to support the swashbuckling batsman.
As reported on 4 September, Rahul’s place in the squad for the marquee event was unaffected by the fact that he did not travel to Sri Lanka for the Asia Cup group stages. Recently, the 31-year-old was able to demonstrate his fitness while batting and maintaining while continuing his rehabilitation at the NCA.
Tilak, Samson, and Prasidh Krishna were omitted from the group that has traveled to Sri Lanka for the Asia Cup, which is currently in progress. Prasidh and Jasprit Bumrah have both recently returned from long-term ailments, but only the latter has made the anticipated cut to the final 15. In addition to Hardik Pandya, Bumrah is accompanied by Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and Shardul Thakur in the fast-bowling department. Shardul appears to have supplanted Prasidh in India’s final 15 batsmen, with India’s batting depth proving to be a concern in limited-overs cricket.
Yuzvendra Chahal, who was not selected for the Asia Cup, remains on the sidelines, as Kuldeep Yadav is the only wrist spinner in the squad. Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel are the two remaining options for the spin. Ishan Kishan, who scored a crucial fifty to rescue India out of trouble in their Asia Cup opener against Pakistan, retains his position as the squad’s reserve wicketkeeper-batsman.
Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (VC), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah
