No Shreyas Iyer as Piyush Chawla picks his 15-member India squad for ODI World Cup
Piyush Chawla has picked his 15-member India squad for the upcoming ODI World Cup, scheduled to be played from October 5 to November 19.
Among notable players, Chawla ignored Shreyas Iyer in the side despite him being the No.4 specialist batter in ODIs. At No.4, the right-handed batter has scored 805 runs in 20 games at an average of 47.35, including two centuries and five fifties.
The middle-order batter is coming off a lengthy injury layoff due to a recurring back injury.
Chawla has instead opted for Tilak Varma, who recently earned a maiden call-up for ODIs for the Asia Cup.
Moreover, Suryakumar Yadav is a part of his squad. The right-handed batter has flopped in ODIs, scoring 511 runs in 26 games at an average of 24.33, including two half-centuries. He recently registered just 78 runs in three ODIs in the West Indies.
The leg-spinner also ignored Sanju Samson, who has a better track record in ODIs compared to Yadav. The wicketkeeper-batter has amassed 390 runs in 13 games at an average of 55.71, including three half-centuries.
The 34-year-old Chawla, meanwhile, has included leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal alongside wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav. Surprisingly, Chahal has been axed for the upcoming 2023 Asia Cup.
Chawla has included KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan among wicketkeeper-batters in his team for the ICC’s marquee event. He picked Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami as specialist pacers, with Shardul Thakur as a fast bowling all-rounder.
For the uninitiated, Chawla is a 2011 World Cup-winning member of Team India. He scalped four wickets in three games in the 50-over event.
Piyush Chawla’s India squad for ODI World Cup
Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Meanwhile, the BCCI has announced a 17-member squad for the 2023 Asia Cup, which is likely to play the 50-over World Cup too.
Click here to check out the full schedule of the 2023 ODI World Cup.