India squad for ICC World Cup 2023: Kishan vs Rahul, lack of right-arm spinners key concerns in final squad

The drama surrounding India’s squad for the ICC World Cup that is set to host from next month finally came to an end on Tuesday.

Captain Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar unveiled a 15-man squad that was largely along expected lines, with the selection panel staying true to their word and picking the World Cup squad from the 17-member Asia Cup squad that also included wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson as a travelling reserve.

Rising star Tilak Varma was being widely touted as a middle-order candidate for the World Cup with the likes of Ravi Shastri clamouring for his selection, both for his sparkling recent form as well as the variation that he brings into the batting lineup due to his left-handedness. Tilak, along with pacer Prasidh Krishna, were trimmed from the Asia Cup squad.

Samson, who has a wide following on social media and is also among the most consistent performers in the Indian Premier League, too did not find a mention when Agarkar was reading out the names during the squad announcement in Pallekele on the sidelines of the ongoing Asia Cup.

Rohit had hinted at being open to a last-minute inclusion from outside the Asia Cup list when the squad for the continental event was announced in New Delhi last month, raising hope of the inclusion of a Yuzvendra Chahal or a Ravichandran Ashwin. That was however, not to be, with India opting to play it safe.

Kishan vs Rahul

Rahul has been persisted with by the Men in Blue despite having not played a competitive fixture since May, when he picked up a thigh injury while fielding during Lucknow Super Giant’s match against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Rahul got the green signal from the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, where he had been undergoing rehabilitation along with Shreyas Iyer.

Ishan Kishan had initially been considered as Rahul’s back-up in the squad. However, Kishan made the most of the opportunity handed to him with Rahul missing out on India’s first two fixtures of the ongoing Asia Cup, producing an attacking 82 off 81 deliveries against a world-class Pakistan attack that had reduced India to 66/4 in Pallekele. His contribution, which included an uppercut for a six off Haris Rauf, not only propelled the Men in Blue to a competitive 266, it also maded the prospect of dropping him from the team a very difficult one from the team leadership’s perspective.

Agarkar addressed the concerns over the tough decision that they will have to make sooner rather than later.

“Ishan Kishan played a lovely innings. You’d rather have a headache. There will be a conversation when KL Rahul returns. We’ll sit down and discuss. Happy to have two players who will fight for a place than the other way around,” said Agarkar.

Left-arm heavy spin department

No last-minute surprises from the Agarkar-led selection panel means no Yuzvendra Chahal or Ravichandran Ashwin in the India squad. Or even the likes of Washington Sundar and Ravi Bishnoi for that matter.

There is little doubt over the fact that Kuldeep Yadav has made a solid comeback into the Indian side this year after a brief period of isolation — both at the international level as well as in the IPL — and has been India’s standout spinner by a fair distance this year.

A left-arm wrist spinner is as rare a commodity in cricket as it can get and the fact that batters aren’t quite used to this variety of spin as they are to left-arm orthodox and right-arm wrist and finger spin will be advantageous from the Indian perspective.

Ravindra Jadeja too is undroppable. While the 34-year-old focuses on the stump-to-stump line and relies on variations created by changes in pace to get breakthroughs, but it is his ability with the bat and exceptional fielding skills that has made him a constant for the team across formats.

However, the fact that India have no right-arm spinners at all, especially wrist-spinners, might make that department a little one-dimensional. While their selection might not be as crucial in Tests, wrist spinners are much sought-after in the white-ball formats and have the ability to thrive across conditions, even on non-conducive ones.

While Axar Patel has been picked as Jadeja’s back-up, one wonders if that slot in the squad would have been better off with Chahal.

Shami’s position in the attack

While the top three picks itself, there is a problem of plenty not just in the middle order, but also in the pace department. Especially after Jasprit Bumrah’s return from a career-threatening back injury after a year-long absence.

In Bumrah’s absence, Shami had forged a successful new-ball partnership with Mohammed Siraj and the two had thrived against sides such as Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Australia in home conditions before the IPL.

Bumrah however, returns as the leader of the attack and it will come down to a shootout between Siraj and Shami for the second frontline quick’s slot.

While Shami remains indispensable in red-ball cricket, the same cannot be said in ODIs where Siraj has had a phenomenal growth in recent months and has even positioned himself as someone who can lead the attack in the future once the Bumrahs and the Shamis have hung up their boots.

Going with three frontline quicks, however, will be quite unlikely a prospect, especially since the Men in Blue have all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur to fall back on in the middle overs.

India World Cup squad:

Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Suryakumar Yadav