Chief selector MSK Prasad says Karthik will play only when keeper Dhoni is injured.
Imaging: Balaji S
Mumbai:
Ahead of the announcement, there was a dilemma on who would take up the second wicketkeeper slot for the marquee event starting in England and Wales on May 30. The 33-year-old Karthik’s experience of 91 ODIs gave him the edge over Pant, according to MSK Prasad, who heads the five-member selection panel.
Karthik was also part of the Indian squad during its disastrous 2007 WC campaign. He, however, missed the bus in the 2011 and 2015 editions. In the squad, Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be playing his fourth, expected to be the final, 50-over WC. Kohli will play his third edition while Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were all part of the 2015 set-up.
India captain Kohli’s pre-IPL statement that the T20 league will have no effect on the selections proved to be prophetic. Naturally, Prasad had to field the maximum questions on Pant’s omission. The Tamil Nadu stumper was given the nod courtesy his experience, explained the Chairman.
“It is definitely a case which we debated at length. In unison, we felt either DK or Pant will only come into the playing eleven if Mahi is injured. So, if it is a crucial match, a quarter-final or a semi-final, keeping also matters,” Prasad told reporters. “That is the only reason why we went ahead with DK otherwise Pant was almost there,” he added.
It was a more or less a predictable 15-member squad, with another notable inclusion being Tamil Nadu’s seam bowling all-rounder Vijay Shankar, who is expected to be used in the number 4 position. Shankar, with his ‘three-dimensional qualities’, took the slot which was speculated to go to Ambati Rayudu before his dip in form in the home series against Australia last month.
“We have been planning since the completion of the Champions Trophy (2017). But let me tell you that in the last month or so, there have been a couple of players who have really cropped up like Vijay Shankar,” he said. But there was no debate on KL Rahul’s inclusion and he is set to be the third opener or a potential middle-order floater.
Ravindra Jadeja’s all-round skills and his ability to be restrictive on dry wickets came into consideration during his selection in the 15. “In the last one and half years, it is these two wrist spinners (Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav) who have won us the games. But there might be situations where you require an additional all-rounder in the playing 11, (this is) where Jadeja comes in,” Prasad explained. “And in the second part of the tournament, when the wickets will be more dry, we felt Jadeja will be handy.”
With Hardik Pandya and Shankar combining to perform the duties of a fourth pacer, there was no place for an additional specialist speedster in the line-up. Bhuvneshwar Kumar might be the back-up pacer and Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami are likely to start in all the big games, fitness permitting. However, Prasad said that Navdeep Saini and Khaleel Ahmed’s names were discussed.
Both the young fast bowlers are expected to travel with the team to England as back-up and they could be drafted in if anyone from the pace troika of Bumrah, Shami and Bhuvneshwar get injured.
Dinesh Karthik on Monday returned to India’s World Cup squad after 12 years, trumping youngster Rishabh Pant.
Ahead of the announcement, there was a dilemma on who would take up the second wicketkeeper slot for the marquee event starting in England and Wales on May 30. The 33-year-old Karthik’s experience of 91 ODIs gave him the edge over Pant, according to MSK Prasad, who heads the five-member selection panel.
Karthik was also part of the Indian squad during its disastrous 2007 WC campaign. He, however, missed the bus in the 2011 and 2015 editions. In the squad, Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be playing his fourth, expected to be the final, 50-over WC. Kohli will play his third edition while Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were all part of the 2015 set-up.
India captain Kohli’s pre-IPL statement that the T20 league will have no effect on the selections proved to be prophetic. Naturally, Prasad had to field the maximum questions on Pant’s omission. The Tamil Nadu stumper was given the nod courtesy his experience, explained the Chairman.
“It is definitely a case which we debated at length. In unison, we felt either DK or Pant will only come into the playing eleven if Mahi is injured. So, if it is a crucial match, a quarter-final or a semi-final, keeping also matters,” Prasad told reporters. “That is the only reason why we went ahead with DK otherwise Pant was almost there,” he added.
It was a more or less a predictable 15-member squad, with another notable inclusion being Tamil Nadu’s seam bowling all-rounder Vijay Shankar, who is expected to be used in the number 4 position. Shankar, with his ‘three-dimensional qualities’, took the slot which was speculated to go to Ambati Rayudu before his dip in form in the home series against Australia last month.
“We have been planning since the completion of the Champions Trophy (2017). But let me tell you that in the last month or so, there have been a couple of players who have really cropped up like Vijay Shankar,” he said. But there was no debate on KL Rahul’s inclusion and he is set to be the third opener or a potential middle-order floater.
Ravindra Jadeja’s all-round skills and his ability to be restrictive on dry wickets came into consideration during his selection in the 15. “In the last one and half years, it is these two wrist spinners (Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav) who have won us the games. But there might be situations where you require an additional all-rounder in the playing 11, (this is) where Jadeja comes in,” Prasad explained. “And in the second part of the tournament, when the wickets will be more dry, we felt Jadeja will be handy.”
With Hardik Pandya and Shankar combining to perform the duties of a fourth pacer, there was no place for an additional specialist speedster in the line-up. Bhuvneshwar Kumar might be the back-up pacer and Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami are likely to start in all the big games, fitness permitting. However, Prasad said that Navdeep Saini and Khaleel Ahmed’s names were discussed.
Both the young fast bowlers are expected to travel with the team to England as back-up and they could be drafted in if anyone from the pace troika of Bumrah, Shami and Bhuvneshwar get injured.