The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed India’s 15-member roster for the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 on Tuesday, which kicks off on October 5. Senior batter KL Rahul was included in the squad after being certified fit by the National Cricket Academy (NCA). Sanju Samson, who was a reserve in India’s Asia Cup roster, has been left out, while Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav have reclaimed their places.

The remaining slots in the squad were quite easy to fill. Men in Blue will be led by Rohit Sharma, and it will include veteran batter Virat Kohli, young opener Shubman Gill, and star power all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja. Rahul and Shreyas Iyer will anchor India’s middle order, with Suryakumar as a backup option.

India’s pace attack will be led by Jasprit Bumrah, who recently returned to the National side. Senior pacer Mohammed Shami and wicket-taking bowler Mohammed Siraj will fulfill the bowling unit. Medium pacer Shardul Thakur was chosen for his batting ability to boost the lower order. Kuldeep Yadav has been named as the squad’s sole specialist spinner, indicating that the team management may have lost faith in Yuzvendra Chahal after all.

There was also no room for off-spinner R Ashwin, leaving India with only three spin-bowling options in Kuldeep, Jadeja, and Axar Patel. Team India’s only concern will be Rahul’s lack of match practice, but the three ODIs against Australia promise to prepare him for India’s World Cup opener against Australia on October 8 in Chennai.