India WTC final Squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Mukesh Kumar and Suryakumar Yadav named standbyes

BCCI provides update on India's WTC final squad, names 3 standbyes for the summit clash against Australia at The Oval.

The BCCI has announced the updated squad for India's World Test Championship final against Australia, which is scheduled to take place from June 7th to June 11th ( June 12th is a reserve day) at The Oval, London.

Due to KL Rahul's thigh injury, Ishan Kishan has been appointed as his replacement in the squad. Kishan will serve as the second wicket-keeper behind KS Bharat.

Additionally, the BCCI has also named three standby players for the WTC final, which are Suryakumar Yadav, Mukesh Kumar and Ruturaj Gaikwad. These players will be available to join the team in case of any injuries or unavailability of any of the selected players.

Suryakumar Yadav

In his test career so far, Suryakumar Yadav has only featured in one Test Match, which was his debut during the Border Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Nagpur. Unfortunately, he failed to make an impression and only managed to score 8 runs. However, he has rediscovered his form in the IPL 2023 and has scored two consecutive fifties in two 200+ run chases. With his aggressive playing style, he could potentially be considered as a replacement if a batter gets injured before the final.

Mukesh Kumar

During Bengal's Ranji Trophy campaign, Mukesh Kumar played a pivotal role in their journey to the finals. The 29-year-old pacer took 22 wickets in five matches, including an individual best of 4/43. Additionally, he also took 4 wickets in 2 innings during the Irani Cup for Rest of India, helping them secure a win against Madhya Pradesh. While Mukesh hasn't been able to make a significant impact in the 8 matches he has played for Delhi Capitals in the IPL, his domestic numbers suggest that he could be a potential backup for Unadkat or Umesh Yadav in the WTC final.

Ruturaj Gaikwad

Ruturaj Gaikwad is another player who has made it to the standby list. He has had an impressive record in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, scoring 660 runs in 5 matches, including 4 centuries. He has also been performing well in the IPL for CSK, scoring 384 runs in 10 matches. With a total of 1941 runs in 28 First-class matches and 4034 runs in 72 matches, he could be a valuable addition to the team.

Standby players: 

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Mukesh Kumar, Suryakumar Yadav.

India’s squad for WTC final: 

Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Ishan Kishan (wk).