India named their initial squad for the ICC ODI World Cup on 5 September.
The squad composition is more or less what was expected, with the think tank's emphasis on all-round ability coming to the fore as Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur have all made the cut.
As per the ICC, all teams have to finalise their 15-player squads by September 28, with any replacements after this date requiring approval from the ICC.
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India Cricket World Cup squad, team list
Despite featuring in the initial 15-member squad, Axar Patel sustained a left quadriceps strain during India's Asia Cup Super Four clash against Bangladesh. Patel is believed to be sidelined for at least three or four weeks more.
Thus BCCI took the call of replacing injured Patel with ace spin bowler R. Ashwin, who was also included in the recently concluded ODI series against Australia.
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| Name | Role | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Rohit Sharma (captain) | Batter | 36 |
| Shubman Gill | Batter | 23 |
| Virat Kohli | Batter | 34 |
| Shreyas Iyer | Batter | 28 |
| KL Rahul | Wicketkeeper-batter | 31 |
| Hardik Pandya (vice-captain) | All-rounder | 29 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | All-rounder | 34 |
| Shardul Thakur | All-rounder | 31 |
| Kuldeep Yadav | Bowler | 28 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | Bowler | 29 |
| Mohammed Siraj | Bowler | 29 |
| Ishan Kishan | Wicketkeeper-batter | 25 |
| Suryakumar Yadav | Batter | 32 |
| R. Ashwin | Spinner | 37 |
| Mohammed Shami | Bowler | 32 |
India star players
India's biggest strength in this tournament is their batting. The top three, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli are as good as any in the tournament, and they will need to come good to give India a good platform in the batting department.
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Apart from these three, Jasprit Bumrah will be a crucial part of the bowling lineup. Whether taking the new ball, enforcing the middle overs or bowling deadly yorkers in the slog overs, a successful campaign for Bumrah will likely mean a successful campaign for India.
India Cricket World Cup fixtures
- October 8: v Australia, Chennai (D/N), 2pm IST
- October 11: v Afghanistan, Delhi (D/N), 2pm IST
- October 14: v Pakistan, Ahmedabad (D/N), 2pm IST
- October 19: v Bangladesh, Pune (D/N), 2pm IST
- October 22: v New Zealand, Dharamsala (D/N), 2pm IST
- October 29: v England, Lucknow (D/N), 2pm IST
- November 2: v Sri Lanka, Mumbai (D/N), 2pm IST
- November 5: v South Africa, Kolkata (D/N), 2pm IST
- November 12: v Netherlands, Bengaluru (D/N), 2pm IST
Can India win the Cricket World Cup?
This is perhaps the burning question around India this year. The last time a World Cup was held on Indian soil, it ended in an Indian victory. However, the pressure of expectation is immense on this team, which has not won an ICC trophy since the 2013 Champions Trophy.
Rohit Sharma is India's third permanent captain since that win, and the majority of this squad had not even made their IPL debuts at that point. Kohli is the only one standing from the famous 2011 triumph, and at this point it is not clear if he will return for 2027.
The Indian team is as strong as any in the tournament, and if they can just iron out a few aspects of their play there is every chance that Kohli, if this is indeed his last World Cup, also gets the ending that he was able to give Sachin Tendulkar.
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