New Delhi: The ODI World Cup is set to begin in India from 5 October and the Indian team is eager to lift the trophy after a decade. The team was announced by Captain Rohit Sharma and Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar on Monday. Sanju Samson was not included in the 15-member squad. The team has six players who will make their debut in the ODI World Cup. They are Shubman Gill, Ishaan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Mohammad Siraj, Shardul Thakur and Shreyas Iyer. Akshar Patel, who was part of the 2015 squad but did not play any matches, can also play his first World Cup game. Four players have the experience of playing three or more World Cups. Virat Kohli is the most seasoned among them.
The bowling department consists of Jaspreet Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Mohammad Shami, and Kuldeep Yadav. The all-rounders are Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Akshar Patel and Shardul Thakur. The batting line-up includes Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul and Ishaan Kishan. Rohit Sharma and Ajit Agarkar announced the team.
Virat Kohli will be playing his fourth World Cup. He is the only player in the team who has won the ODI World Cup title in 2011 under MS Dhoni’s captaincy. He also played in the 2015 and 2019 editions. Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, and Mohammed Shami will be playing their third World Cup. They were part of the 2015 and 2019 squads. Sanju Samson missed out on the World Cup team. Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul were chosen as the wicketkeepers. Suryakumar Yadav, who is the number-1 batsman in T20s, also made it to the World Cup team. However, his ODI record is not impressive.
Only Kohli can win the World Cup
The other 14 players in the team have a chance to win their first World Cup title. India won the World Cup twice in 1983 and 2011 at home. Australia has won the most titles with five. West Indies has also won two titles while Sri Lanka, Pakistan and England have won one each. West Indies failed to qualify this time. England is the defending champion of the tournament.
India is currently playing in the Asia Cup. They will face Pakistan in Super-4 on 10 September. They will also play a three-match ODI series with Australia before the World Cup. The World Cup will be played from 5 October to 19 November. There are 10 teams in the tournament. Each team will play nine matches. The top four teams will advance to the semi-finals. The matches will be held at 10 venues. The opening match, India-Pakistan match and the final will be held at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The semi-finals will be played on 15 and 16 November. There will be a total of 48 matches in the tournament.
Team India for the World Cup
Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj.
