Dinesh Karthik and Vijay Shankar got the nod ahead of Rishabh Pant and Ambati Rayudu respectively for the ICC World Cup. These were the two big surprises in an otherwise settled squad.

Speaking on the inclusion of Shankar ahead of Rayudu, chief selector MSK Prasad said that Rayudu got an extended rope, but they went ahead with Shankar as he has the calibre to be a three-dimensional player in the World Cup.

ALSO READ: Dinesh Karthik, Vijay Shankar make the cut; Rishabh Pant misses out

“After the Champions Trophy we have tried quite a few middle-order batsmen, which also included Karthik, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey. We did give a few more chances to Rayudu but Vijay Shankar gives three dimensions. He can bat, if the conditions are overcast he can bowl, plus he is a fielder. We are looking at Vijay Shankar as a No. 4. Now we have plenty of options for that slot,” MSK Prasad said after the squad was announced.

Also, Prasad said that KL Rahul has been picked as the reserve opener in the squad, but he can bat in the middle order if the team management wants him to.

“To begin with, he will only be a reserve opener, but if the team management needs, he can bat in the middle order too,” Prasad further added.

Here is India’s squad: Virat Kohli (Capt), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, MSD (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd Shami

First Published: Apr 15, 2019 15:48 IST