Gautam Gambhir, VVS Laxman exclude Rishabh Pant from their WC 2019 squad

03/03/2019

While Rishabh Pant has been backed by both the fans and the BCCI to succeed MS Dhoni behind the stumps and consequently travel to England as an understudy, both Gautam Gambhir and VVS Laxman say otherwise. Gambhir also picked veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to join India as a third spinner.

With just three months left for the World Cup and India playing their last 50-over series before the extravaganza, the prediction game is on and pundits have put down as what they think would be the perfect 15-man squad travelling for England. Gambhir and Laxman were both present in Star Sports’ analysis during the first ODI between India and Australia and showed their 15-man squads that had surprising inclusions and exclusions.

One of the biggest names anticipated to travel England in the World Cup has been India’s blue-eyed boy Rishabh Pant. With Dhoni playing his last World Cup in all probability, the search for his successor has doubled over the last few months with Pant being the frontrunner.

However, the 21-year-old southpaw doesn’t seem to be very convincing in the red ball cricket as stated by Laxman, who opted to have Dinesh Karthik over Pant. “I think that the opportunity that Dinesh Karthik got, he has capitalized on those opportunities. For the World Cup you want a settled unit. You don’t want too much experimentation. Yes, Rishabh Pant has got the “X Factor”, the ability to hit those big sixes and can float anywhere in that batting lineup but he has not convinced me in the shortest version of the game yet to take him to the World Cup straightaway,” said Laxman.

“In the T20s he played, I saw him rushing and show some hurry in getting runs. You need someone who is steady, experienced and can handle the pressure and that is something Dinesh Karthik will give this Indian team,” he added.

Gambhir, on the other hand, was more concerned over not wasting a spot in the 15-man squad. “You’ve have already got Kedar Jadhav and Ambati Rayudu, who have done really well. Pant wouldn’t be in the playing eleven anyway. My second wicketkeeper would be KL Rahul if would be at all required,” he said.

The southpaw had some pretty interesting picks apart from the obvious few in his travelling team with the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Umesh Yadav being the biggest surprises. With wrist-spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal emerging as India’s first choice in limited overs cricket over the last two years, India have largely kept all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Kedar Jadhav as their backup options. Ashwin has consequently been pushed towards the red ball cricket and his injuries didn’t help his cause either.

“Choosing the third spinner would be exciting after Chahal and Kuldeep. I’ve picked Ashwin. Whoever you pick, Jadeja or Ahswin, they both will be backups. It will also be interesting to see what India pick as a backup spinner – wrist spinner or a finger spinner. Jadeja or Ashwin or they go with a Mayank Markhande,” said Gambhir.

Ashwin’s last ODI was back in June 2017 and when Gambhir has been of the opinion that the 32-year-old’s massive experience could also be help in mentoring the young spinners. When asked why would Ashwin be chosen over all-rounder Jadeja, he said, “I’ve gone purely on spinning quality over who is a batter fielder. You’ve got to think out of the box such situations. That’s the reason I’ll have Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul as my openers and have Shikhar Dhawan come at number three.”

Umesh Yadav was also a strange pick especially with the rich pool of pacers India already have in their disposal in the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami, and Hardik Pandya to provide support. To further complicate things, Umesh Yadav’s recent last-over drubbing by Pat Cummins against Australia in the first T20I didn’t help his cause much either.

“I’ve gone for a backup with Vijay Shankar for Hardik Pandya, and Umesh Yadav as a backup fourth seamer. It is going to be a long tournament this time. I’ve got to make the most of my bowling options,” says Gambhir.

Gambhir’s predicted squad: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Vijay Shankar

VVS Laxman’s predicted squad: Laxman’s predicted squad: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhwan, Virat Kohli, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, KL Rahul, Dinesh Karthik, Khaleel Ahmed

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Gautam Gambhir, VVS Laxman exclude Rishabh Pant from their WC 2019 squad

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