The BCCI on Tuesday announced the 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023 that will be played in India from October 5. The squad is on expected lines with batter KL Rahul being included despite being out of action for more than three months, while the axe has fallen on a couple of members of the ongoing Asia Cup squad – Tilak Varma, Prasidh Krishna – besides the stand-by wicketkeeper Sanju Samson.

The Statesman had on Sunday published in its report that the trio could be missing the World Cup berths. As expected, Rahul, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav found a place in the squad announced by the BCCI’s chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar and skipper Rohit Sharma on Tuesday.

“This is the 15-member squad that we have picked and we are not going to change it unless there is an injury. We have a pool of 17 players, including Rahul, and we have contingency plans in place. Our focus is on selecting the 15 individuals who can successfully complete the task at hand,” Agarkar said.

Commenting on the inclusion of Rahul, who is yet to make his comeback to competitive cricket after undergoing surgery on his right thigh, Agarkar said, “KL Rahul has played a couple of games over the last two days and kept wicket for the whole 50 overs. He should be ready.”

For the spin department, the selectors have reposed faith on the batting abilities of slow left-arm orthodox duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, along with the left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, making it a sort of one-dimensional attack.

Justifying the committee’s decision to overlook leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, Agarkar said, “As for spinners, there were discussions and both offer depth in batting and bowling and they take the ball away. We ideally wanted an off-spinner but this gives balance. We are quite happy with the bowlers we have.”

Skipper Rohit Sharma said that the process of narrowing down the squad was quite a challenge and in the process some players missed the bus.

“We explored every conceivable avenues and possibilities to assemble the strongest team. It’s inevitable that some players will miss out on World Cup selection. With the wealth of talent available in India, narrowing it down to just 15 players is a challenging task. We believe we have selected the best possible squad of 15,” he said.

The deadline for all cricket boards to disclose their squads was September 5, exactly one month before the tournament’s opening match.

Sharing his insights on India’s possible approach towards the quadrennial showpiece tournament, Rohit said, “50 over format is different. The format of playing 9 league games (we played it in 2019) is unique. There’s always a chance to make a comeback. We saw how England did it and won the World Cup last year. It does give you extra time to think about combinations, teams’ strategies and plans. It gives you breathing space!”

The Indian cricket team hasn’t won any ICC trophy since 2013 and the ODI World Cup 2023 at home is their biggest chance to end that title drought. This World Cup holds immense significance for India, as it presents a golden opportunity to secure the coveted 50-over championship, having come agonizingly close in the previous two editions.

The World Cup commences on October 5 when 2019 finalists England and New Zealand clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, with the event culminating in the final at the same venue on November 19.

India squad for #CWC23: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (WK), KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya (Vice Captain), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Shami, Mohd Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav