India World Cup Squad: Pant racing with Rahane for back-up opener's spot, Vijay Shankar in fray

India's chairman of selectors MSK Prasad hinted that Rishabh Pant, Vijay Shankar and Ajinkya Rahane are in the fray for India's World Cup squad, which has been finalised barring an odd spot or two.

KL Rahul’s sudden dip in form and confidence might just open the doors for Rishabh Pant for the upcoming ODI World Cup in England as a specialist batsman, hinted India’s chairman of selectors MSK Prasad.

Confirming that India’s World Cup squad of 15 has been finalised barring an odd place or two, Prasad showered heavy praise on Pant, terming him as one of the strongest contenders followed by Vijay Shankar and Ainkya Rahane, whom the selectors are still considering to fill the remaining spots in India’s World Cup squad. 

"Undoubtedly he (Pant) is in contention," Prasad told ESPNCricinfo. "A healthy headache. The progression of Rishabh in the last one year is phenomenal across the formats. What we actually felt is he needs a bit of maturity now, gain more experience. That is the reason we have included him in India A series wherever possible."

Pant is set to face tough competition from Rahane who despite not playing an ODI for more than 12 months, has been in very good form in List A cricket. Rahane has scored 597 runs in 11 innings at an average of 74.62 with two big hundreds and three fifties. Two of those fifties came recently for India A in the unofficial ODI series against England Lions in Thiruvananthapuram last month. His experience at the top of the order can also come in handy in English conditions. "In domestic cricket, Rahane has been in form," Prasad said. "He is very much in contention for the World Cup."

Where Pant has an edge over both Rahul and Rahane is in his strike rate. The range of shots and ability to clear the boundary at will makes him an ideal candidate for the back-up opener’s slot.

Prasad, however, clarified that it is not the end of the road for Rahul. The opener who played only three ODIs in the last 12 months continues to be one of the major contenders for the back-up openers spot and in fact, was the No. 1 choice till a disastrous Australia tour followed by an off the field controversy leading to his suspension.

Another cricketer who the selectors are keeping an eye on is Tamil Nadu all-rounder Vijay Shankar. Despite not being in contention for a World Cup berth for the major part of 2018, Shankar has suddenly jumped the queue with his performance with the bat in the recently-concluded limited overs series in New Zealand. His 64-ball 45-run knock in testing conditions at Wellington earned him a No. 3 spot in the three-match T20I series. Shankar scored 83 runs in the T20I series with a sparkling 43 off 28 balls in the final T20I at Hamilton.

His technique and ability to adapt to difficult situations also earned praise from head coach Ravi Shastri. "In whatever opportunities he has got, Vijay Shankar has shown the skillsets required at this level. We have been grooming him through India A tours in the last two years. But we will have to see where he can fit in the dynamics of this team," said Prasad.

The deadline for announcing the World Cup 15 is April 23.