India Squad for ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: Top 5 biggest talking points

India announced their 15-members squad for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.

Team India have announced their 15-members squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar and captain Rohit Sharma held a press conference in Sri Lanka to announce India’s best 15 players going in to end India’s ICC title drought from last 10 years. KL Rahul has been named in the World Cup squad as he is fit to make his comeback after a five-months break due to an injury. Team India have made a few surprising calls as well to have the right balance in the playing eleven.

They have dropped Tilak Varma and Prasidh Krishna from their squad, and the rest of Asia Cup side has been retained. Sanju Samson also missed out on selection, he was travelling with Indian team as a reserve wicket-keeper option in case KL Rahul doesn’t get fit. Suryakumar Yadav will be in Indian camp for the World Cup, and he is preferred over Sanju Samson as a pure batsman. Team India will go with just one spin bowling option as Yuzvendra Chahal is again left out. A few talking points are emerging from this squad selection.

Top 5 talking points of India's squad selection for ICC Cricket World Cup 2023:

1. No Yuzvendra Chahal and Lack of spinners :

Indian conditions will be favourable to the spin bowlers throughout the entire tournament. Wickets like Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, and Lucknow will be dry and produce turns. Every team is looking to build their base on spinners, but India decided to go with just one regular spinner in the 15-members squad, Kuldeep Yadav. Along with Kuldeep, left-arm spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel are there to accompany him. Yuzvendra Chahal’s exclusion from Asia Cup was a signal that India will prefer more spin all-rounders than full-time spin bowlers in the team.

2. Suryakumar Yadav included :

Another point of debate will be around whether Suryakumar Yadav is the perfect backup batting option over Sanju Samson or Tilak Varma in the current Indian squad. Suryakumar Yadav does not have decent stats in the one-day international format to back up his selection. Surya has played 26 ODIs so far in his career and scored just 511 runs at an average of 24.33. Suryakumar Yadav has yet to play an impactful knock in this format. His T20I stats are a lot different from what his ODI stats look like.

3. KL Rahul included :

KL Rahul missed out on Asia Cup 2023 league stage games as he had a niggle while spending his time at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). Rahul is included in India’s World Cup squad and is set to make his return to the Indian playing XI. KL Rahul got injured during this year's Indian Premier League and has not played any cricket since then. Rahul’s inclusion also puts all the doubt about his fitness to rest, and he looks set to take responsibility as India’s No. 5 batter and also wicket-keeper.

4. No Sanju Samson :

Wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson has not found his place in the World Cup squad. Sanju was in the reserves for Asia Cup in 2023. The selectors have given preference to Suryakumar Yadav as the reserve middle-order option for the mega event. Sanju Samson’s number look impressive in the one-day international format, but his inconsistency and Surya’s impactful game in the T20I format didn’t allow him to settle his place in India’s 15-members squad for World Cup 2023. In his 12 ODI innings, Sanju has got a 55.71 average.

5. Team Management to take a call on Ishan or Rahul

After Ishan Kishan’s powerful knock against Pakistan at Pallekele, a debate was started to make him a permanent player in the No. 5 position and also as a wicket-keeper. KL Rahul’s fitness and his injury allowed Kishan a big opportunity against his arch-rivals, and he made good use of that. KL Rahul will be making his comeback in the Indian camp, and the Indian chief selector, Ajit Agarkar has left the decision between Rahul and Kishan to Indian team management under Rahul Dravid. Kishan has scored four consecutive half-centuries since the ODI series against West Indies.