Cricket World Cup Squad Preview: India
India is seen as the top pick to win the Cricket World Cup, especially since it’s being held in their home country for the first time since 2011. The fact that the host nation has won the last three editions of the tournament makes it difficult to dispute their status as the team to beat.
However, the high expectations placed on them have hindered them from advancing past the semi-finals in the 2015 and 2019 tournaments, despite having many cricket superstars on their team. With millions of eager fans right at their doorstep, the pressure is bound to increase, and how well they handle it could determine their fate.
India also has its share of injury worries. Shreyas Iyer only played in one match during the Asia Cup, which was India’s first game against Pakistan. Nevertheless, Rohit has eased concerns about this situation.
“Shreyas was not available for this game [final] because there were certain parameters that were kept for him to tick off. Today, he completed most of it,” Rohit Sharma said after India won its eighth Asia Cup title on Sunday after beating Sri Lanka. “I would say 99% he should be okay as of now, but he looks good.”
Not too long ago, Rohit Sharma appeared to be suffering from burnout due to his involvement in all formats of cricket for India and his captaincy of the Mumbai Indians over several years.
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However, as the current captain of the national team, he seems to have regained his form and is leading his team into this competition in good condition. Sharma stands as India’s sixth-highest run-scorer in one-day internationals of all time and achieved the highest individual score in the format’s history, scoring 264 against Sri Lanka in 2014.
In his last four innings, he has managed to score half-centuries in three of them and boasts an impressive captaincy record with a win rate of over 72%, having led his team to victory in the Asia Cup earlier this month.
Kuldeep Yadav’s roller-coaster career appears to be reaching its peak at the perfect moment, with him now being the top-choice spinner for his team as they approach the World Cup on their home turf. Despite his immense potential, this enigmatic left-arm spinner had experienced a slump over the past three to four years, slipping behind Ravi Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal in the hierarchy.
However, in the exceptional year of 2023, he has become an indispensable figure, particularly in the World Cup, where he has outperformed all others by taking 31 ODI wickets at a remarkable average of just 15.51.
Captain Sharma is eagerly anticipating the impact Kuldeep could make on the tournament. Following their victory in the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka, Sharma commented, “Kuldeep has bowled exceptionally well. Whenever he’s been under pressure and had the opportunity to bowl, he has secured numerous crucial wickets. His ability to rescue the team from challenging situations is a valuable asset. Having such a quality bowler on our team is a great source of confidence.”
India’s preliminary 15-player World Cup squad includes: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj.
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