The BCCI on Tuesday announced India's squad for the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup, which begins on October 5th. The 15-man squad led by skipper Rohit Sharma will battle it out against nine other teams as the hosts aim to win the ODI World Cup for a third time.
The squad includes seven batters, four bowlers and four all-rounders. Keeper batsmen KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan have both been included in the squad while all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been named as the vice-captain. India is going with four seamers Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, and Mohammed Siraj while three spinners Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav.
However, the surprise comes in the exclusion of frontline spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, while out-of-form batter Suryakumar Yadav manages to hold onto his spot. Similarly, all-rounder Tilak Varma, fast bowler Prasidh Krishna and wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson have all been left out of the squad.
Speaking about the squad selection, skipper Rohit Sharma said: "We have picked the best possible combination... We have depth in batting, we have spin and other bowling options."
On the selection of the playing XI, Rohit said: "Form of players, the challenge posed by opposition team will dictate playing XI for the day."
The Indian skipper also requested those players who missed out on the chance to play the World Cup to "keep their chin up and be ready for the next opportunity."
The World Cup commences on Thursday, October 5 when 2019 finalists England and New Zealand clash at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, with the event culminating in the final at the same venue on Sunday, 19 November.
India will start its campaign with a match against Australia in Chennai on October 8.
Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Hardik Pandya (VC), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), KL Rahul (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav.
