ICC ODI World Cup 2023: In October and November, India will play host to the ICC ODI World Cup. The difficult task of selecting teams falls on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selectors. Who will be added to the 15-person team as a second fast bowler is the biggest unknown. The front-runners in the competition are Shardul Thakur and Jaydev Unadkat, but only one of them will be chosen. Now it remains to be seen how the selectors will decide to handle Shardul-Unadkat.
In terms of team selection, all nations must submit their 15-player list for the World Cup by September 5 in accordance with ICC regulations. It’s interesting to note that the preliminary list can no longer be changed after September 27, which also happens to be the end of the Australia series. Before selecting the final squad, India can field between 16 and 18 players for the Asia Cup and a series against Australia.
On October 8 in Chennai, India will face Australia in their World Cup opener. Even though this game is still two months away, the team still lacks balance. Indian team management faces numerous difficulties. For the Indian team, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer’s availability is crucial. Choosing a third spinner and additional fast bowler for the 15-man squad will be a challenge for the Indian selectors.
India Expected Fast Bowlers
After a long absence, Jasprit Bumrah is making a comeback in cricket. In three T20 games in Ireland, he will serve as Team India’s captain. His participation in the World Cup is guaranteed. Along with him, Mohammad Shami and Mohammad Siraj will play in the World Cup. The fourth fast bowler on the roster will be Hardik Pandya.
Shardul Thakur has been way ahead in terms of performances, proving his mettle yet again with eight wickets in three ODIs in the West Indies. Along with bowling in the middle order, Shardul bowls in the last overs with his slower one and Knuckleball-like delivery. Along with bowling, he also has the ability to play aggressive innings with his bat. In such a situation, he can get a place in the 15 members of the World Cup 2023.
India Expected Fast Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Mohammad Siraj and Shardul Thakur/ Jaydev Unadkat
India Expected Spin Bowlers
The primary spinners for the Indian team will undoubtedly be chosen, and they are Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav. Yuzvendra Chahal and Axar Patel are vying for the position of third spinner. Actually, Jadeja and Axar both bowl extremely well. He is equally capable of playing effective innings. It will be challenging to keep two players of the same type on the team in such a circumstance. As a backup player, Axar is available. Chahal’s leg-spin offers a lot of variety, which might be to his advantage.
India Expected Spin Bowlers: Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal/ Axar Patel
Team India Expected Squad List
Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Jaspreet Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Akshar Patel , Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Read – Asia Cup 2023: Pakistan Strongest Playing 11 against India, India vs Pakistan
For more details head to ICC’s official website.