- The cricket-crazy fans in India were waiting for the announcement of the team for the ensuing 50-over World Cup scheduled in October-November 2023 in India. Needless to mention, cricket is considered hugely popular and enjoys tremendous reach among patrons. Each one of us is considered no less than a selector ourselves and would have already chosen the representatives of the team. Not that it matters but showcases how mad we Indians are when it comes to anything associated with cricket. No wonder, the Board of Control of Cricket in India is considered the richest association courtesy of the humongous following enjoyed by the game here. Of course, the much-awaited World Cup team announcement did happen recently.
PC: BCCI
- There are no visible surprises in the way the selection panel headed by ex-India pace bowler Ajit Agarkar has chosen the players for the ICC-organized marquee event. Rohit Sharma-led team has the right mixture of experience, youth, firepower, and bowling prowess to go the distance. Mind you, Team India will be playing in the familiar home conditions and that experience should come very handy as the event progresses into the business end. Rohit Sharma and Shubhman Gill will be starting the batting procedures followed by Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and Suryakumar Yadav. Some doubts were lingering about the inclusion of Suryakumar Yadav who has not exactly set the 50-over stage on fire as he usually does in T20s. But he has made it to the squad.
- There were lots of talk surrounding the inclusion of KL Rahul too who was cleared of injuries and a persistent niggle to be named in the squad as the first-choice wicketkeeper batsman. Ishan Kishan is the standby wicketkeeper-batsman who could be purely considered as a batsman given his recent form. The allrounder Hardik Pandya is named the vice-captain and with him back to bowling full tilt, would enable Team India to go for a balanced eleven to take on the opposition. Shardul Thakur lends a certain heft to the batting depth along with spin bowling allrounders like Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. The pace bowling department will be headed by the seasoned duo of Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah with Mohammed Siraj joining the forces.
PC: Twitter
- Further, the chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav offers variety to the bowling attack completing the team composition for India. However, leggie Yuzvendra Chahal missing out on making the final cut would be questioned by several experts but the team has been chosen now and let’s move ahead. Other notable omissions include Sanju Samson, Tilak Verma, and Prasidh Krishna. Nonetheless, the Team India squad not only appears balanced but also covers all the bases to offer stiff competition to the opposition teams in familiar home conditions. With the World Cup less than a month away, Team India should commence preparing for the biggest cricketing showpiece with intent. Hopefully, Indian fans will be treated to extraordinary cricket during the event.
