Rohit Sharma to Ishan Kishan: Wasim Jaffer picks his India World Cup squad, makes surprising omission

Ishan Kishan, who has been in excellent form in 50-overs cricket, was included as the second wicket-keeper ahead of Sanju Samson. Jaffer picked Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill as the two openers.

Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer has revealed his preferences for the upcoming World Cup. Jaffer made a few changes to the squad – he excluded Prasidh Krishna and Sanju Samson but included Tilak Varma, who hasn’t played a 50-overs match yet. Jaffer also added KL Rahul as the wicketkeeper-batter but didn’t select Yuzvendra Chahal. His chosen spinners were Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and Axar Patel. In a surprising move, Jaffer left out Suryakumar Yadav, with Shreyas Iyer’s return making SKY’s inclusion unlikely.

Ishan Kishan, who has been in excellent form in 50-over cricket, was included as the second wicketkeeper ahead of Sanju Samson. Jaffer picked Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill as the two openers.

Regarding the pace bowlers, Jaffer stuck with the usual suspects, selecting Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj as the three genuine quicks. Shardul Thakur and Hardik Pandya were included as all-rounders in the squad.

My India WC squad:

Rohit (c)
Shubman
Virat
Iyer
Tilak
Ishan (wk)
KL (wk)
Hardik
Jadeja
Axar
Shardul
Kuldeep
Bumrah
Shami
Siraj

What's yours? #WorldCup2023 #AsiaCup2023

— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) September 4, 2023

While the Indian side appears quite settled, there have been concerns about injuries and lack of game time for senior players. The top order struggled in their opening Asia Cup match against Pakistan, and players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma need to find their form. Shubman Gill, who had a strong start this year, has seen a dip in his performance over the last month and needs to regain his form quickly.

Shreyas Iyer is returning from a lengthy injury break, and although he looked promising during his brief innings against Pakistan, he will need consistent scores to regain his rhythm. KL Rahul, who has yet to make a comeback, will also need to perform well, especially since he is being considered as the wicketkeeper-batter. However, the Indian management will be encouraged by Ishan Kishan’s performance as another middle-order option.