India Explain Key Jaiswal and Siraj Selection Calls for Champions Trophy
A lengthy selection conversation saw a strong India squad picked to play the One Day International series against England before heading on to the Champions Trophy.
But such was the strength of competition that there were some notable absences from the 15-strong party.
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Mohammed Siraj was one of the highest-profile names to miss out on selection, and captain Rohit Sharma explained that fitness doubts over Jasprit Bumrah played a big part in Siraj missing out.
“Only Siraj is not there (among experienced players),” Rohit confirmed. “We are not sure of Bumrah and so we picked a squad where we had options of players who can bowl up front and at the back end. If Bumrah is not there we wanted Arshdeep (Singh) to do it.
“That is where we felt Siraj’s effectiveness comes down when he is not taking the new ball. It is unfortunate he is missing out, but we had to get guys who can perform a certain role. I feel we have players who can bowl with new ball, bowl in the middle and at the end.”
With Bumrah’s fitness in mind, India have included Harshit Rana as cover in the squad for the ODI series against England that precedes the Champions Trophy.
Yashasvi Jaiswal at the U19 World Cup
India’s squad also includes Yashasvi Jaiswal, with the 23-year-old yet to play a single ODI for his country. But the opener has been a regular contributor in the Tests and T20Is for India.
And Rohit says that Jaiswal’s cross-format form made him a justifiable selection.
“We picked Jaiswal on the basis of what he has shown in the last few months despite not playing ODI cricket. He has been picked on potential and sometimes you have to do that.
“In that, some players will miss out, it’s very unlucky but you can’t please everyone. You try and make the best team to win games in different situations and I feel with these guys you can have that.”
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Shubman Gill will continue as vice-captain in the latest squad – a decision that selector Ajit Agarkar says was partly based on dressing room feedback.
“Shubman was vice captain in Sri Lanka anyway, I wouldn’t read too much into it. A lot of the feedback comes from the dressing room. You also want to keep your options open. One of the challenges is that not many are leading their state teams nowadays … but you are always on the lookout for anyone who has got some leadership qualities.” says Agarkar.
India open their Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh before taking on Pakistan and New Zealand in Group A.
The India Squad:
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja.
India’s Group Stage Fixtures:
20 February – India vs Bangladesh, Dubai
23 February – India vs Pakistan, Dubai
2 March – India vs New Zealand, Dubai