ICC World Cup | Dinesh Karthik, Vijay Shankar picked ahead of Rishabh Pant, Ambati Rayudu as India announce 15-man World Cup squad

Ambati Rayudu’s parched runs column in the last few matches didn’t help him achieve fruitful results as he failed to find a spot in the 15-man World Cup squad. This move may have surprised many as the Hyderabadi batsman was the frontrunner for the No. 4 spot in the line-up. The national selectors have handpicked KL Rahul, Dinesh Karthik and Vijay Shankar for the No. 4 slot - all three can bat at the said position. Vijay Shankar played some impactful cameos in the New Zealand and Australia tour, which accentuated his progress and sent Rayudu down in the pecking order.

A good IPL form has also helped KL Rahul earn a spot in the Virat Kohli-led team that also features Hardik Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravindra Jadeja. However, Khaleel Ahmed’s three-wicket haul in the first IPL match of this season didn’t help his cause as India decided not to bring in a left-arm pacer in the squad.

Instead of going for a seasoned fourth seamer, selectors have decided to go with both Pandya and Shankar, who will double up as the fourth all-rounder in the team.

India will start its World Cup campaign against South Africa on June 5. This year the quadrennial event is being played in a different format which involves a total of 10 teams. The Men in Blue will meet Australia, New Zealand and Pakistan in their next three games after their opening tie against the Proteas. India’s last group-stage match is scheduled against Sri Lanka on July 6.

In the history of the prestigious tournament, India were crowned champions on two occasions in 1983 and 2011 under the leadership of Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni respectively.

India’s squad for the ICC #CWC19: Virat Kohli (Capt), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, MSD (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami