India names 15-member squad for World Cup, Karthik gets nod over Pant

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday announced the 15-member Indian squad for the upcoming World Cup. Dinesh Karthik, the wicket-keeper batsman was given a nod ahead of Rishabh Pant in the final squad of fifteen. MSK Prasad, the Chairman of selectors said that they went for Karthik as he possess better wicket keeping skills.

"It's definitely a case where we debated for long. We all felt that either Pant or Karthik will come in the playing XI if Dhoni is injured. We all felt if the injury happens in the semi-finals, wicket-keeping also matters, so that is the reason why we went for Karthik instead of Pant," MSK Prasad, the Chairman of selectors told reporters. The selectors have picked Ravindra Jadeja in the final squad and the chairman of selectors said that the all-rounder was picked keeping the conditions of the pitches in mind.

"In the last one year, Kuldeep and Chahal have won us many games. But there might be a situation when you require an additional all-rounder in the playing XI, which Jadeja brings in, and in the second part of the tournament, wickets may be a bit drier so that's where we think Jadeja will come in handy," MSK Prasad said. "After the Champions Trophy, we tried a lot of middle order batsmen, which includes Karthik as well. We gave Rayudu many chances, but Shankar gives us ability with the three dimensions (bowling, batting, fielding). If the conditions are suitable, he can come in as an all-rounder. Shankar is a batsman who can bowl, we are looking to play him at number four," MSK Prasad said.

Indian fifteen-member squad for World Cup: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Kartik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Bumrah , Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammad Shami. India takes on New Zealand (May 25) and Bangladesh (May 28) in the warm-up matches before the World Cup.

The 50-over tournament will take place in England and Wales from May 30 to July 14. India will open their World Cup campaign against South Africa on June 5.