Suryakumar Yadav has kept his ODI spot after India announced an expected 15-man squad for the World Cup next month. With KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer recently returning to the 50-over setup after long-term injuries, it appeared to be a three-way battle for the backup middle order slot between Suryakumar, newcomer Tilak Varma, and wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson – a race the 32-year-old has won.
The No. 1 T20I batter in the world, Suryakumar, has been unable to match his T20I success in ODI cricket, going 18 innings without scoring a fifty. In the recent absence of Rahul and Iyer, he has also played multiple roles in the middle order, and the team management has continued to support the dashing batter.
Cricket Live Score learned that even though Rahul skipped the Asia Cup group stages in Sri Lanka, there were no doubts about his inclusion in the team for the major event, as was reported on Monday (September 4). While continuing his rehabilitation at the NCA, the 31-year-old recently demonstrated his fitness by keeping and batting.
Tilak, Samson, and Prasidh Krishna, who were part of the group that travelled to Sri Lanka for the ongoing Asia Cup, did not make the final roster. Otherwise, the squad is largely in line with expectations. Only Jasprit Bumrah has advanced to the final 15 as expected, despite Prasidh and Jasprit Bumrah having recently returned from long-term injuries. In addition to all-rounder Hardik Pandya, Bumrah is joined in the fast-bowling category by Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and Shardul Thakur. With India’s batting depth in limited-overs cricket proving to be a problem, Shardul defeated Prasidh in the final 15.
