World Cup 2019 | KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya still waiting on BCCI ombudsman’s approval

The Indian 15-man squad for the upcoming 2019 ODI World Cup has been made public in the last week leaving many surprised by the inclusion of all-rounder Vijay Shankar and wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik ahead of the likes of Rishabh Pant and CSK batsman Ambati Rayudu.

The young Indian pair of Kl Rahul and Hardik Pandya have also been included in the 15-man preliminary squad that will board the plane to England towards the end of April. However, a report in Scroll.in has revealed that the talented duo is yet to receive the clearance from BCCI ombudsman DK Jain. The report mentioned that one of the three members of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) stated that it was indeed surprising that the ombudsman was yet to hand over the report of the inquiry.

"We were hoping to get a report from the ombudsman, but haven't received anything as yet. The team for the World Cup has been picked and the fate of the players still hangs in balance.

"Yes, they have served a temporary suspension and were called back from Australia, but you cannot decide on behalf of the ombudsman. If the ombudsman feels that they have paid for their act, then also a clean chit does have to officially come from him," the member told IANS reporters.

In addition to that, another BCCI official further added that if the two players were handed any form of suspension, the selectors would need to fill their vacant slots with players who are part of the stand-by list.

"Well, the Indian board does have the provision to make changes to the squad till 23 May without needing the approval of the ICC's Event Technical Committee. If a scenario does arise wherein these players are ruled out, then the selectors will pick from the stand-by players. Hopefully, such a situation won't come," the official added.