ODI World Cup 2023: One shouldn’t be surprised if India takes 16–18 players to both the Asia Cup and the home series against Australia before deciding on the final team.
According to ABPLive, The national selection committee will have to choose between Shardul Thakur and Jaydev Unadkat to fill the extra fast bowler spot in India’s 15-person World Cup team, which starts on October 5.
According to ICC rules, each team has to send in its initial squad of 15 players by September 5, but the final squad can be sent in by September 27, and between the initial and final submissions, a country can make as many changes as it wants. The Australia series finishes on September 27, the day of the last submission, which is an interesting fact.
So, it shouldn’t be a surprise if India takes 16–18 players to both the Asia Cup and the home series against Australia before deciding on the final team. So Unadkat and Shardul will definitely get their fair share of chances during the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and the three-match home series against Australia in September, which are both warm-ups for the World Cup. India’s World Cup campaign starts on October 8 in Chennai against Australia. That’s exactly two months from now, and the team doesn’t look very set at the time.
If injured batters KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer could play, India would be one of the top favorites for the title. However, the bowling combination on low and slow decks will decide how far the team goes in the main event. There are two points of disagreement: the third spinner’s spot in the fifteen and the extra seamer’s spot.
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But it wouldn’t be as easy as one might think when it comes to speed dealers. Jasprit Bumrah is recovering from a lower back stress fracture, but he will still play in the World Cup. So will Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj, even if they are only 80 percent fit.
Hardik Pandya is also the fourth fast bowler, and he is expected to bowl at least six to eight overs per game if not ten. This makes the slot for the reserve pacer very significant. Shardul is a long way ahead in terms of performance and quality. He showed his worth again in the Caribbean by taking eight wickets in three ODIs, but Unadkat has an edge in this set-up because he bowls with his left arm.
Arshdeep Singh, a left-handed player with better skills, has been moved to the Asian Games T20 team. This means that Unadkat is still a big part of the team, even though he doesn’t have much speed. Also, Unadkat has been with the team for so long that it is important that he be considered for the big event. Bengal pacer Mukesh Kumar is another choice. His work ethic has impressed everyone, but he has already been chosen for the Asian Games in Hangzhou, which end on October 7 if India wins the gold medal match.
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At the moment, Axar Patel is way ahead of Yuzvendra Chahal, but his skills are very similar to those of Ravindra Jadeja, who is likely to start all of India’s games. This could make the choice for the third spinner’s spot easier. But the fact that Axar is a better batter and the team management didn’t want to try Chahal in the West Indies ODIs is a sign.
Rahul Might Have to Practice for 50 Overs Before the Asia Cup
The Indian team management wants KL Rahul to be in top shape for the upcoming Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, but he, like his fast bowling teammate Bumrah, will need to practice 50-over matches before the regional tournament. People who know about these things think that when the World Cup gets closer if all of the expert bowlers are healthy and available, it will come down to a tiebreaker between Mumbai’s seam bowling all-rounder Shardul and Saurashtra’s left-arm medium pacer Unadkat.
After the three-match series against the West Indies, the think-tank won’t try any more new things. If sources are to be believed, they have settled on the core 18–19 players for the World Cup, of which 15 will be chosen for the tournament itself. “The people in charge of the team want to give Rahul and Shreyas every chance to get better. Rahul is a long way ahead in terms of getting better and getting closer to being ready for a full match.
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“But he needs to do match simulations where he is able to keep wickets for 50 overs,” a BCCI source told PTI on the condition of anonymity. “The Instagram videos show that he is doing well, but 50 overs of keeping and at least 30 overs of batting in the heat will show how well his operated hip is holding up in humid conditions.
“If he can do well in the next nine games (six if India plays in the Asia Cup final and three against Australia), that will be the best news for the Indian team,” he said. India’s Asia Cup team is likely to be chosen by the end of this week or the start of next week (at the latest by August 16–17).
Likely Core Group
Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Mohmmed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan (wk), Axar Patel, Sanju Samson, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Mukesh Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal.