Who Said What: World reacts to India's 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy
India have finally announced their 15-man squad for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, and while the consistent performers have been rewarded with a place in the squad, a few cricketers have been unlucky to miss out.
The batting-heavy squad has Virat Kohli leading the side, with Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni as the experienced batsmen to nurture and support Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya, who have taken giant strides in their short albeit promising ODI careers.
Ajinkya Rahane has been picked as the third opener, while Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin would double up as main spin bowlers as well as all-rounders. Bhuvneshwar Kumar would lead the fast bowling attack, and Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah have been entrusted to share the burden.
The cricketing world has been abuzz with comments and opinions about the squad, especially given the fact that it was announced very late after uncertainty had prevailed over the team’s participation in the ICC tournament, since the fallout from the ICC meeting in Dubai that had trimmed the BCCI’s share in the central revenue pool.
However, now that the squad has been announced, better sense has prevailed and the defending champions are on their way to the UK. Here’s how the world reacted to India’s squad announcement.
Shikhar Dhawan was very optimistic about India’s chances at the tournament.
Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle analysed the team selection through a series of tweets.
He also expressed his views on a player being picked in an ODI side based on IPL performances.
Ayaz Memon, the popular journalist, opined that the squad was a good mix of youth and experience.
Ravi Shastri, the former director of the Indian team seemed to be pleased with the squad announcement.