World Cup 2019: Here's why Dinesh Karthik was picked over Rishabh Pant

The apex board counted on DK’s experience over Pant’s hard-hitting talent while finalising the second wicketkeeper who would back MS Dhoni in the marquee event

‘Dinesh Karthik or Rishabh Pant; who should be picked for ICC World Cup 2019?’ This was the question that has been doing rounds until the BCCI, on Monday, announced the final 15 who will catch the flight to England. After 12 years, Karthik once again became a part of India's campaign in the ICC megaevent as the apex board chose him over Pant’s hard-hitting talent while finalising the second wicketkeeper who would back MS Dhoni. “It is definitely a case which we have debated at length. In unison, we felt either DK or Pant will only come into the playing eleven if Mahi is injured. So, at that juncture, if it is a crucial match, a quarterfinal or a semifinal, keeping also matters,” chief selector MSK Prasad told reporters after the announcement of the squad. “That is the only reason why we went ahead with DK otherwise Pant was almost there,” he added. It was a more or less predictable 15-member squad picked by the national selection committee with another notable inclusion being Tamil Nadu's seam bowling all-rounder Vijay Shankar, who is expected to be used as a floater in the batting order, especially at number 4. Shankar, with his ‘three-dimensional qualities’, took the slot which was speculated to go to Ambati Rayudu before his dip in form in the home series against Australia last month. “We have been planning soon after the completion of the Champions Trophy (2017) for this. But let me tell you that in the last month or so, there have been a couple of players who have really cropped up like Vijay Shankar,” Prasad said. Coming to the bowling department, Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be the back-up pacer and Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami are expected to start in all the big games, fitness permitting. However, Prasad said that Navdeep Saini and Khaleel Ahmed's names were discussed who are expected to travel with the team to England as back-up, who could be drafted in if anyone from the pace troika of Bumrah, Shami and Bhuvneshwar gets injured. Squad: Virat Kohli (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Vijay Shankar, Kuldeep  Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Dinesh Karthik, Ravindra Jadeja.