VVS Laxman selects Indian squad for 2019 World Cup: The former Indian batsman has put forward his best Indian squad for the world event.
With every passing match which India plays, a large number of opinions get generated regarding what exactly should be the Indian squad for the looming ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
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Given how the stakes are increasing on a daily basis, one can feel the amount of pressure which the selectors will be in during naming the final squad for the world event.
India have done exceeding well in the ODIs in the last year or so. However, even their stellar run has not been able to help them in finding the optimum set of 15 players for the tournament. While most of the positions have been confirmed, there still are two spots which require some mind-storming.
During a recent show for broadcaster Star Sports regarding the World Cup, former India middle-order batsman VVS Laxman put forward a set of 15 players which he believed could dominate the world event.
In his squad, Laxman stuck to more or less the same names which have represented India in the recent times. Talking about the two remaining slots which have to be filled, Laxman has given the impression of going with a conservative and a safe approach.
Pant vs Karthik
Among the biggest debate regarding the Indian World Cup squad is regarding the reserve wicket-keeper batsman. While some people are advocating for the rookie in Rishabh Pant, the others have backed the more experienced Dinesh Karthik.
Talking about their recent form, Pant has been highly inconsistent in his 18 limited-over appearances for India. On the other hand, Karthik has stood tall on the expectations on several occasions in the recent past.
Citing experience as the reason, Laxman ended up picking Karthik over Pant. In place of the third-spinner, Laxman named Sunrisers Hyderabad bowler Khaleel Ahmed in his World Cup squad. In eight ODIs, Ahmed has dismissed 11 batsmen at an average of 30.72, an economy rate of 5.36 and a strike rate of 34.3.
With his recent performances, all-rounder Vijay Shankar has also pressed his case for a spot in the World Cup squad. Not including him, Laxman opted for a reserve opening batsman in Lokesh Rahul.
VVS Laxman selects Indian squad for 2019 World Cup
Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, 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.
