Ajit Agarkar quickly got to the point in the press conference in Kandy, Sri Lanka, on Tuesday to announce India’s World Cup squad. (More Cricket News)
The Indian selection chairman read out 15 names without fuss. Over the next ten minutes or so Agarkar and captain Rohit Sharma explained the reasons for the selection.
There was much curiosity over whether wicketkeeper batsman KL Rahul would be picked, as he only recently got back to match fitness after a thigh injury he suffered in May. But Agarkar said Rahul had kept and batted enough overs in practice to show that he was fit again.
“KL is looking good. He was in the camp in Bengaluru. He kept 50 overs and batted many overs. He had another niggle but that’s been sorted. We are happy to have him,” Agarkar said.
Balance and depth were two things the team management sought in the squad. The other was the ability to handle pressure. Sharma mentioned Ishan Kishan’s innings aganst Pakistan in the Asia Cup in that regard.
“Players who have performed under pressure… those things matter, and not just runs scored anywhere,” Sharma said. “Ishan was brilliant batting at no. 5 for the first time [in the game against Pakistan, where he scored a potentially match-saving 82].”
Sharma spoke about the importance of having a team with virtually no tail. The demands of modern cricket are such that even the No. 11should be able to score a few runs. Likewise, it is imperative for a team to have varied bowling options.
“We need to create that depth in batting and bowling. It was lacking in our team the last few years,” Sharma said.
He gave the example of the match against Pakistan in the Asia Cup. Had the tailenders scored more, the total would have been more challenging. “Our first game here, we fell a little short at the back end. No 8, 9, 10, 11… it is their job too to contribute with the bat,” Sharma said. (India scored 266 and were bowled out in 48.5 overs, losing out on seven balls.)
Sharma empathized with players who did not make the squad, but said that with only 15 spots and a lot of talent around, it was bound to happen. Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma and Prasidh Krishna were some players whose names had been doing the rounds. But they did not make it into the team.
“Even I have been through it. You just have to keep your chin up, be ready for the opportunity when it comes. We looked at every possible way of getting the right players in. This is the best 15 we could have picked,” Sharma said.
The inclusion of Suryakumar Yadav was another point that piqued interest among experts. Speaking on Hotstar, former Australian player Tom Moody felt that Yadav, with an average of 24 in ODI cricket, was lucky to be in the team.
Sanjay Manjrekar, however, felt that Yadav has shown a knack for performing in pressure situations in T20 cricket and could be a matchwinner even in 50-over cricket. In any case, Yadav will be a backup option in the middle-order.
Sharma acknowledged that the format and schedule of a 50-over World Cup is lenient compared to the T20 World Cup. “We play nine group matches and then the semis and final. It gives you a chance to come back even if you don’t start too well,” Sharma said. “In the T20 World Cup we had to beat teams like South Africa and Pakistan just to reach the semifinals. So it (the ODI World Cup format) does does give you breathing space.”
