The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday announced India’s 15-member squad for the World Test Championship final that will be played at the Ageas Bowl from Friday in Southampton.
The squad is on expected lines, with two notable omissions being that of Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul. This suggests that the tried and tested opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill is likely to open the batting despite Gill’s poor returns with the bat in recent outings.
India has named six batsmen, five pace bowlers and two spinners along with two wicketkeeper-batsmen in the 15-member squad.
India’s Squad For WTC Final:
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Wriddhiman Saha (wicketkeeper), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav, and Mohammad Siraj.
KL Rahul failed to make it to the squad with the likes of specialist wicket-keepers Wriddhiman Saha and Rishabh Pant in the squad. Shubman Gill, who performed well in Australia, was chosen ahead of the Mayank Agarwal.
Meanwhile, twitter users didn’t look happy with BCCI’s selection as they excluded KL Rahul from the 15-member squad. Many, including experts, had predicted that Rahul would open the batting along with Rohit Sharma in the World Test Championship final.
The Karnataka-born also has scored a century (149) in England in 2018. The right-handed batsman, who was given the responsibility to lead a team against Virat Kohli’s side in the intra-squad match, also looked in good form. In a video shared by the BCCI of the intra-squad match, Rahul smashed Ravindra Jadeja for a brilliant six.
Here are some of the reactions we have picked for you:
India’s squad announcement comes hours after New Zealand named their final 15 for the WTC Final. While there were doubts about Kane Williamson’s fitness after he was rested for the 2nd Test against England, the celebrated batsman is all set to lead the team, which has a fine mix of seniors and youngsters.
New Zealand’s Squad For WTC Final:
Kane Williamson (c), Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Devon Conway, Colin de Grandhomme, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling, Will Young.