During a recent press conference, the Indian cricket team’s captain, Rohit Sharma, addressed inquiries about the team’s limited bowling choices. He humorously commented, “We’re not dealing with the 2011 squad, which had all-round talents in both batting and bowling. Our approach is to utilize the available talent and give chances to those who are excelling. Instantly producing a new bowler isn’t feasible. While our focus is on their batting skills, there’s a hope that Sharma and Kohli might contribute a few overs during the World Cup.” Rohit’s witty response evoked laughter from the audience.
“We have convinced them,” BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar, who was sitting by his side, made a clever remark.
When asked about including Tilak Varma, who hasn’t played an ODI match yet, Agarkar explained, “During the West Indies matches, we noticed significant potential not just in terms of performance but also in his composure.
This allows us to bring him along with the team, provide more exposure. He’s a promising left-handed player. Fortunately, we can accommodate 17 players now, but it will be 15 for the World Cup. We’ll make that decision when the time comes. For now, it gives the coach and captain a chance to have him within the squad.”
Squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Sanju Samson (back up to Rahul)