3 players in India's squad for 2023 World Cup who could be replaced later ft. Suryakumar Yadav
Team India announced their 15-member squad for the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup in a press conference headed by chief selector Ajit Agarkar and skipper Rohit Sharma on Tuesday.
There were no massive surprises, with 15 of the 17 players selected in the ongoing Asia Cup retained. However, as is always the case, there was some angst among fans over several names missing out - Sanju Samson, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Shikhar Dhawan, among others.
The side has currently played two games in the Asia Cup, with a possibility of another four matches should they qualify for the summit clash. Led by Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as his deputy, Team India will begin their World Cup campaign against Australia on October 8.
Considering the announced squad being provisional and there being time till September 28 for it to be finalized, there could be some changes due to team balance, form, and injuries.
With that in mind, let us look at three players in India's squad for the 2023 World Cup who could be replaced later.
#1 Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav is perhaps the most susceptible to being excluded when the final Indian World Cup squad is announced. While his talent and match-winning abilities are apparent and undeniable, the 32-year-old has been in dismal ODI form.
Added to that is his overall track record in the format, consisting of limited impactful contributions. In 26 ODIs, Suryakumar has scored only 511 runs at an average of 24.33, with two half-centuries. However, his selection perhaps stems from his extraordinary T20 accomplishments, where he is the No.1 ranked batter in the world.
The destructive batter hasn't featured in either of India's opening two games of the Asia Cup. However, should he or his likely competitor for the backup middle order spot, Tilak Varma, play in the remaining games, it could be a straight shootout between the Mumbai Indians (MI) duo for a place in the final World Cup squad.
Tilak has the added advantage of being a left-hander, something Team India would dearly wish to have to tackle the opposition's spinners in the middle overs. They currently boast only Ishan Kishan as a left-handed middle-order option.
#2 KL Rahul
The fitness of wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul is perhaps the most talked about aspect of the preliminary Indian World Cup squad. While there have been mixed opinions from experts and fans on Rahul's selection owing to his fitness issues, Team India has gone ahead with the veteran batter.
Rahul suffered a thigh injury during IPL 2023 and has been in recovery mode ever since. However, to worsen matters, the 31-year-old picked up a niggle ahead of the Asia Cup, forcing him to stay back at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) to be fully fit.
Although Rahul will likely feature in Team India's playing XI from the Super Four stages, all eyes will be on him in the upcoming few games to prove his fitness and form ahead of the mega event.
With Sanju Samson waiting in the wings as the ideal like-to-like replacement, there is added pressure on Rahul to ascertain his spot in the side.
What works in Rahul's favor, unlike Suryakumar Yadav, is his impeccable track record in the 50-over format. It is among the reasons the team management has perhaps stuck to their guns and selected the talented batter in the preliminary squad.
The experienced batter has an overall ODI average of 45.13 in 54 matches, with five centuries and 13 half-centuries to his name. Rahul has also added value for team balance by playing as a wicket-keeper in 18 out of his 54 ODIs, averaging a stellar 55.64 with the bat when playing as the gloveman.
However, Sanju also boasts terrific numbers while performing a similar role, with an average of 55.71 and a 104 strike rate in 13 ODIs. Therefore, it is a non-negotiable for KL Rahul to immediately prove he is match fit, starting from the Pakistan clash on Sunday, September 10.
#3 Jasprit Bumrah
Another name that could miss out on fitness grounds for the final World Cup squad is ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah. It is a no-brainer that on pure numbers and skill level, the 29-year-old walks into the Indian side.
However, Bumrah only recently returned from a back injury that kept him out of action since September last year. To his credit, he picked up right from where he left off by being the Player of the Series in the T20I series against Ireland.
Yet, the pacer hasn't bowled in an ODI, a format where the physical demands are substantially higher than T20s, for over a year.
Team India's Asia Cup opener against Pakistan was washed out before their bowling innings, and the star bowler missed the game against Nepal due to the birth of his first child.
All this means is that Bumrah is yet to be seen with a ball in hand in the longer white-ball format, which is a definite cause of concern. It is also worth remembering that the 29-year-old underwent rehabilitation in November and suffered a recurrence of the same injury in mid-December last year.
Considering the above, Bumrah must get game time and longer bowling spells under his belt ahead of a marquee tournament like the World Cup.
Should the unfortunate fitness issue reoccur, India will likely replace him with express pacer Prasidh Krishna or Yuzvendra Chahal according to the situation.