'Don't get fooled': Former chief selector slams selection of India star in World Cup squad

The ICC ODI World Cup will take place on home soil later this year, and the BCCI has officially announced the Indian team. India's World Cup campaign will get underway against Australia on October 8 in Chennai with a 15-player team, according to the announcement. The Men In Blue will be led in the competition by Rohit Sharma.

3 things you need to know

• India currently has qualified for the Super Four of the Asia Cup 2023 
• Team India will be led in the event by Rohit Sharma
• The first match for India will be against Australia on October 8

Also Read: 'Unaware of NRR permutations': Afghanistan coach admits to HUGE error after Asia Cup loss

Krishnamachari Srikkanth makes a huge statement about Shardul Thakur's selection 

In addition to former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar and seasoned India spinner Piyush Chawla, former BCCI  selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth stressed that Shardul Thakur has yet to establish his credentials as an "all-rounder." He questioned if India needed a bowler with batting skills at the No. 8 spot and said that they should instead choose a pacer or a specialist spinner while talking on StarSports.

Srikkanth argued for his position in an intense discussion with Bangar, which sparked a heated debate on the subject. They argued about the team's selection policy, namely whether Shardul Thakur's potential as an all-rounder warranted his inclusion in the squad or whether India should give other bowling alternatives priority for the No. 8 spot.  Krishnamachari Srikkanth said: 

"Everyone is saying we need a batter at No. 8...who needs a batter at No. 8? Shardul Thakur is only scoring 10 there and he doesn't even bowl for 10 overs. In the match against Nepal, how many overs did he bowl? 4 only. See, don't see performances against sides like West Indies or Zimbabwe. Yes if he performs well, then keep that in the back of your mind, but don't give importance to that. Instead stress on performances against teams like Australia or New Zealand. That is why I say, don't get fooled by overall averages, always look at individual matches,"

Team India seeks perfect batting skills from  the lower-order 

Captain Rohit Sharma and BCCI top selector Ajit Agarkar presented India's 15-member provisional World Cup squad in Kandy during the Asia Cup campaign, emphasising "balance and depth". The duo prioritized these two traits when choosing the team for the forthcoming home tournament and will keep them in mind when choosing the playing XI.

Rohit Sharma stressed the need for a good backend in modern cricket, saying that even a No. 11 batsman can score runs. He said the squad needed more batting and bowling depth, which had been lacking in recent years.  Last week have saw a lot of talk about Shardul Thakur. Many raised questions about his future as an all-around pace-bowling bowler for India. Rohit chose No. 8 in the batting lineup to increase the team's batting depth for the World Cup.

Also Read: Rohit Sharma's reaction goes viral after Agarkar names him as skipper for World Cup- WATCH

India World Cup squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah

Team India won the match against Nepal by 10 wickets after their match against Pakistan was washed out due to heavy rain. Rohit Sharma and co will be looking to perform great in the Super Four, where they will be facing their arch-rivals, Pakistan, on September 10, 2023.