VVS Laxman picks India’s squad for World Cup 2019, leaves out young sensation
VVS Laxman named his preferred squad for India in the upcoming World Cup 2019 and there were quite a few surprises when it came to young cricketers.
Former India cricketer VVS Laxman believes that India should not include young sensation Rishabh Pant in their squad for World Cup 2019 and he said that MS Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik should be their two options.
Pant hasn’t been in good form in white-ball cricket with scores of 4, 40 not out, 28, 3 and 1 in the last five innings. Laxman told Star Sports during his analysis that the World Cup is a major tournament for the side and when it comes to experience, Karthik should be picked by the Indian selectors ahead of the youngster.
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Earlier, Sourav Ganguly also echoed similar sentiments when asked about Pant and the former India skipper said that he needs to fit in the World Cup squad. “He has to fit in. I don’t know whether he would be able to fit in at this moment. So it depends. But he’s obviously a player for the future.“Karthik is not part of the ODI squad then obviously they are not thinking of him as an option. It depends on what the selectors want,” Ganguly said.
When it comes to the bowling department, Laxman preferred to go with four fast bowlers and two spinners namely Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. Among the fast bowlers, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were obvious choices but Khaleel Ahmed became a surprise inclusion.
Laxman’s predicted squad: 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.