ICC World Cup 2019 Team India Squad Announcement: Dinesh Karthik, Vijay Shankar included; Pant misses out

Highlights: Rishabh Pant and Ambati Rayudu were the biggest exclusions as India named the 15-member squad for ICC World Cup 2019. The team, which will be led by Virat Kohli, included Dinesh Karthik as the second wicket-keeper besides MS Dhoni. Vijay Shankar was included in the squad as an all-rounder along with Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Kedar Jadhav. In the bowling department, the individuals who were included in the team were Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Shami. All the highlights from the ICC World Cup 2019 Team India Cricket Squad Announcement -

15:51 hrs IST

Vijay Shankar’s inclusion

Speaking on the inclusion of Shankar ahead of Rayudu, chief selector MSK Prasad said that Rayudu got an extended rope, but they went ahead with Shankar as he has the calibre to be a three-dimensional player in the World Cup. Read full story here.

15:35 hrs IST

A look at the complete squad

15:33 hrs IST

Pant’s exclusion

“Definitely a case where we debated in length. We all were in unison that either pant or DK will come in only when Mahi is injured. In an important game wicket keeping is also important. That’s the reason we went with Dinesh Karthik” - MSK Prasad said when ask about the exclusion of Rishabh Pant.

15:31 hrs IST

Vijay Shankar at No. 4

“After the Champions Trophy, we tried quite a few people [at No.4]. We gave a few more chances to Rayudu. What Vijay Shankar brings is three dimensional. We are looking at him at No. 4 to begin with.” - MSK Prasad.

15:29 hrs IST

KL Rahul as opener

“To begin with, KL Rahul will be the reserve opener. If need arises, the team management will take a call on him playing in the middle-order” - MSK Prasad.

15:27 hrs IST

Karthik over Pant

Sanjjeev K Samyal from Mumbai - “We discussed that Dinesh Karthik or Rishabh Pant will only play if MS Dhoni is injured , hence the keeping skills were considered,” Amitabh Choudhury said. Also, it was announced that four medium pacers will travel with the team apart from the 15.

15:22 hrs IST

Reserves to be announced

The reserves will be announced today. So, there is still some hope for Ambati Rayudu and Rishabh Pant who can find a place in the team if anyone picks up an injury.

15:16 hrs IST

India’s World Cup squad

Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami.

15:12 hrs IST

Almost time

Sanjjeev K Samyal from Mumbai - MSK Prasad and Amitabh Choudhury are here and the press conference will begin shortly. The meeting was mainly about the captain and the selectors’ choice of No 4, and couple of backup players.

15:10 hrs IST

Press conference to begin shortly

MSK Prasad and Amitabh Choudhury will be attending the press conference where they will be announced the squad for ICC World Cup 2019.

15:08 hrs IST

Kohli ready to leave

Sanjjeev K Samyal from Mumbai - The meeting for selecting the World Cup team is almost done. Captain Virat Kohli joined the five selectors at the BCCI cricket centre. Kohli came in a black Bentley at around 2.

15:05 hrs IST

Australia’s World Cup squad

Australia World Cup squad: Aaron Finch (capt), Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Steve Smith, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Jhye Richardson, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa

15:00 hrs IST

Selection meeting begins

Sanjjeev K Samyal from Mumbai - Virat Kohli is already inside the BCCI headquarters and the selection meeting for the World Cup squad is now underway.

14:56 hrs IST

Virat arrives

Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli is there at the BCCI headquarters and in some time, we will get to know which 15 cricketers will be representing India at the ICC World Cup 2019!

14:54 hrs IST

Harbhajan’s advice

Harbhajan Singh believes that the Indian cricket team does not need any back-up for MS Dhoni in the upcoming World Cup 2019. The veteran said that India should go with just one specialist wicket-keeper and that means both Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant will miss out. Read full story here.

14:50 hrs IST

Time for Pant?

Rishabh Pant is being widely tipped as the back-up wicket-keeper for Dhoni in this tournament and his big hitting ability means he could well make it to the playing XI just as a pure batsman, who will be assigned the finisher’s role.

14:45 hrs IST

Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami is experiencing a second wind in his white ball career and the seasoned campaigner could be crucial cog for India on wickets that will offer seam movement. This calendar year, Shami has scalped 19 wickets in 11 matches to make his case for a place in the WC squad.

14:40 hrs IST

No place for Ashwin?

Ravindra Jadeja leads Ravichandran Ashwin in the race for the third spinner’s slot. He has been playing regularly for India in ODIs for since the Asia Cup last year and his abilities as an all-rounder means Jaddu will be on that plane to England.

14:35 hrs IST

The Spin Duo

Kuldeep Yadav will lead the spin department and his impressive performances in the last English summer holds the chinaman in good stead. Yuzvendra Chahal is the other half of India’s deadly spin-twins and if the summer is as hot as it was last year and the pitches as dry, expect this wizard to spin a web around batsmen.

14:29 hrs IST

Dhoni - The Saviour

MS Dhoni, the man who has seen and done it all has one last crack at glory and his return to form as a batsman is the biggest positive India is taking into the showpiece event. Like fine wine, Dhoni is getting better with age as he was named the man of the series in Australia earlier this year. The wicket-keeper-batsman has four fifties in eight ODIs this year.

14:24 hrs IST

Battle for No. 4

The Number 4 slot has been hotly debated and a lot of people have been tried for the position. On current form and ability, KL Rahul should get the nod ahead of Ambati Rayudu. Rahaul’s case has been bolstered by him scoring tons of runs in the ongoing edition of the IPL, where he currently takes the second spot in the Orange Cap list (335 runs in 8 matches). Remember he can also be a back-up opener in case of an injury.

14:19 hrs IST

Pace Attack

Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya are expected to do the bulk of the bowling though Kumar’s role will be equally significant considering the overhead conditions expected during the English summer. ICC rules require pitches for events like World Cup to be standardised at all venues but Lal said weather will be a factor.

14:13 hrs IST

14:08 hrs IST

Dhawan-Rohit combo

With 363 runs, Shikhar Dhawan was India’s top-scorer during the 2013 Champions Trophy win in England. Two years ago, he aggregated 338 while Rohit Sharma totalled 304 in five matches even though India lost to Pakistan in the final. If these two fire, India will have a good chance of winning the World Cup title!

14:03 hrs IST

Sanjay Manjrekar

13:58 hrs IST

A major surprise

Deepak Chahar could well be the surprise pick by the selectors as he has been mighty impressive for the Chennai Super Kings this season. He has the trust of Dhoni and has shown good temperament, which might force the selectors to pick him as the fourth seamer for the marquee tournament.

13:52 hrs IST

Ganguly’s Picks

Sourav Ganguly termed the current Indian pace attack as ‘fantastic’ and said the duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami will play a crucial role during the World Cup. Here’s a look at his predicted squad.

13:47 hrs IST

Vijay Shankar

Vijay Shankar’s recent exploits in the India-Australia series however could tempt selectors to pick him as a back-up all-rounder as hardik Pandya has only recently recovered from a back niggle.

13:42 hrs IST

Sehwag predicts

Virender Sehwag, who has played in three World Cups, picked his own squad for the event. Here’s a look at what the former India skipper had to say about the team.

13:37 hrs IST

Jadeja Factor

Wrist spinners Kuldeep and Chahal are Kohli’s bowling aces for this World Cup. Though they didn’t have a great tour of England last year, the left-right combination is expected to keep a few batsmen on edge with their variations. It remains to be seen if the management backs Ravindra Jadeja. A prized fielder, Jadeja can spin the ball away from right-handers and — as illustrated in Chennai Super Kings’ recent win in Jaipur — adds depth to India’s batting.

13:32 hrs IST

The back-up opener

Convention suggests back-up opener is a must at a World Cup. KL Rahul — who had mediocre outings when tested in the middle order — is the best batsman to come in should the opening combination fail. Statistics however back Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma — with averages of 65.06 and 57.25 in England — to do well.

13:27 hrs IST

Who will be the 15th member of India’s squad?

Who will be the 15th member of India’s squad? We think it will be one of these four cricketers. Let us know what you think by taking part in this poll.

13:23 hrs IST

Predicted XI

We at Hindustan Times tried our hand at predicting the India squad for World Cup 2019. Do you agree with us? Take a look at the predicted XI.

13:15 hrs IST

Hello and welcome

Welcome to the live coverage of the Indian cricket team squad announcement for the ICC World Cup 2019. In the past couple of months, we have heard every possible combination of this squad and today is the day when we finally get to know the players who will be representing India in the marquee event.