Indian captain Rohit Sharma, along with chairman of selectors Ajit Agarakar, officially announced the 15-member Indian squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. The tournament is scheduled to start on October 5 in India. The squad selection largely followed expectations, with Rohit Sharma leading the team, and Hardik Pandya named as his deputy.
The squad includes key players such as Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammad Siraj, who were all automatic choices. However, the middle-order batting had been a major point of discussion. Shreyas Iyer, now fit, secured his place in the squad, and Suryakumar Yadav was chosen as the backup for the middle-order role. Ishan Kishan’s impressive performances in ODIs earned him a spot in the squad and potentially a place in the playing XI ahead of KL Rahul.
Similar to the Asia Cup, India opted not to include an off-spinner and instead went with three left-arm spinners – Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel, with Kuldeep as the primary spin option. In the pace department, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, and Mohammad Siraj will be supported by seam-bowling all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur.
Here's the #TeamIndia squad for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 🙌#CWC23 pic.twitter.com/EX7Njg2Tcv
— BCCI (@BCCI) September 5, 2023
Notably, pacer Prasidh Krishna and left-handed middle-order batsman Tilka Verma missed out on selection from the Asia Cup squad. While the deadline for participating nations to submit squad details has passed, there is a separate window for making changes, which is open until September 27, allowing cricket boards the opportunity to make adjustments to their teams.
India’s campaign in the World Cup will begin with a match against Australia on October 8 in Chennai, followed by a clash with Afghanistan on October 11 in Delhi. The highly anticipated India vs. Pakistan encounter will take place at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on October 15.
Rohit Sharma and his team are eager to win the tournament in front of their home fans, as India is hosting the ICC tournament for the first time since 2011. Given the historical trend where the last three champions were also the host countries (2011 – India, 2015 – Australia, and 2019 – England), India is considered one of the favorites to win the tournament. India’s league campaign will conclude on November 11.
Here is India’s complete schedule for the ODI World Cup 2023 (All India matches to commence at 2 pm IST):
- India vs Australia – October 8, Chennai
- India vs Afghanistan – October 11, Delhi
- India vs Pakistan – October 15, Ahmedabad
- India vs Bangladesh – October 19, Pune
- India vs New Zealand – October 22, Dharamsala
- India vs England – October 29, Lucknow
- India vs Qualifier 2 – November 2, Mumbai
- India vs South Africa – November 5, Kolkata
- India vs Qualifier 1 – November 11, Bengaluru