BCCI Finalises Squad for World Cup 2023: KL Rahul In, No Place for Sanju Samson - Report

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday finalized the 15-man squad for the forthcoming ICC World Cup 2019, starting next month in India. The selectors have shown faith in KL Rahul while Sanju Samson has missed out on a spot.

As reported by The Indian Express, chief selector Ajit Agarkar met Indian captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid on Saturday to finalise the team. The meeting held after the India vs Pakistan tie in the Asia Cup was washed out at the Pallekele Stadium in Kandy.

The stars who found a spot

The squad is similar to what was announced for the ongoing continental event. Wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has found a place in the squad along with Shubman Gill. Shreyas Iyer and Suryakuamar Yadav have been picked to strengthen the middle-order. Rohit Sharma will lead the team with Virat Kohli being another senior face in the team.

Asia Cup 2023 Full Schedule | Asia Cup 2023 Complete Results | Asia Cup 2023 Full Coverage

All-rounders Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur have retained their spots as the selection committee continues to emphasize having depth in the batting line-up.

In the bowling department, the pace attack comprises Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj. Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav also made it to the squad.

Rahul passes the fitness test

KL Rahul was named in the Asia Cup squad despite not being fully fit. While announcing the squad a couple of weeks ago, chief selector Agarkar said the Karnataka batter has a niggle and will regain match fitness during the Asia Cup. Rahul was eventually ruled out of the group-stage games in the ongoing continental event.

But it has been learned that the right-hander has been given a green signal from the medical at the NCA. Thus, he was picked for the world and will join the team soon in Sri Lanka.

Sanju Samson, who is currently travelling as the only reserve player in the Asia Cup 2023. Besides the Kerala wicketkeeper-batter, the likes of Tilak Varma and Prasidh Krishna also didn’t find a place in the World Cup squad.

The report also stated that the BCCI wanted to keep the selection meeting on September 4, a day before the ICC’s deadline for squad announcement. But Rahul getting cleared by the medical team prompted the selectors to take the final call.