The chairman of selectors of the Indian team, Ajit Agarkar, and India captain Rohit Sharma announced India’s 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023 which will begin on October 5 and will be hosted solely by India for the first time.
The host nation’s squad was the most anticipated one as there were many expectations from the BCCI selection committee to pick the best squad possible, keeping all the requirements of modern-day 50-over demands.
While India’s squad was similar to what most experts and fans had expected, there were some key and surprise exclusions from the 15-member list as well.
Here are the three surprise exclusions from India’s World Cup 2023 squad:
1. Prasidh Krishna
Prasidh Krishna (Photo Source: Twitter)
The lanky Karnataka pacer Prasidh Krishna made his India comeback after more than a year away from the game against Ireland in the T20I series. He was away for a long time as he suffered a back injury during the Zimbabwe tour in August 2022.
He had to undergo surgery to rectify the issue and had a long rehab process at the NCA. Prasidh Krishna had a good record for India in ODIs, picking 25 wickets in 14 matches with a best of 4/12.
Many expected the pacer to be picked for the ICC World Cup 2023 in the Indian squad as he can extract bounce from any surface due to his height.
However, it seems that the return of Jasprit Bumrah and the presence of Mohammad Shami and Mohammed Siraj have kept the BCCI from adding another pacer. Also, the selection committee went for an extra pace-allrounder option in Shardul Thakur to lengthen the batting along with Hardik Pandya.
2. Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson. (Photo Source: Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
One of the most surprising exclusions in the Indian World Cup 2023 squad in the batting department was Sanju Samson. The Kerala cricketer has always been on the cusp of cementing his place in the Indian team for the long run but has been usurped by a few who have been statistically better.
This time around, the BCCI selectors went with KL Rahul, who recently attained full fitness clearance from the NCA as he was troubled by a groin niggle, as one of the wicketkeeping options.
The other option, Ishan Kishan, who has been in sublime form with the bat with four consecutive half-centuries in ODIs and being a left-hander, gives the Indian team an advantage as well in the middle order against opposition spinners.
Samson will find himself unlucky not to be picked in the World Cup squad, given that he was seen as one of the keeping-batter options alongside Kishan and Rahul.
3. Yuzvendra Chahal
Yuzvendra Chahal. (Photo Source: Twitter)
The biggest exclusion from the Indian World Cup squad was leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal. The BCCI selection committee went with just one specialist spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, and two spin all-rounders, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.
Chahal had fallen off the radar in ODIs for quite some time now and had not played a single game in the West Indies ODI series as well.
There was an outside chance that he would be picked for the World Cup Indian squad, as he was also not named for the Asia Cup 2023 squad.