Rohit, Shami comeback; no surprises in India's Champions Trophy squad

Photo: AFP New Delhi: There were no surprises as the Indian national selectors finally chose a 15-member squad for the Champions Trophy after missing the deadline of April 25. Rohit, after recovering from a thigh injury he sustained during the Test series against England last year, has replaced opener K L Rahul, who has been laid low by a shoulder injury. Manish Pandey has been drafted in as an extra batsman in the 15-member squad, to be led by Virat Kohli. State Associations unanimously voted in favour of India’s Champions Trophy participation after BCCI had threatened to pull out of the ICC tournament because of the ongoing tussle regarding the revenue-sharing. Falling in line with BCCI secretary Rahul Johri’s statement that the squad is ready, the selectors sprung in now surprises in the defending champions’ squad. "We definitely considered the name of Kuldeep. He would have been a surprise package but whether we would have played with two spinners is a question. Since Yuvraj (Singh) and Kedar (Jadhav) can bowl spin, he narrowly missed out," Prasad explained after the selection committee meeting here. Some of the other names that were discussed seriously were keeper-batsmen Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Shardul Thakur and Suresh Raina. Along with Kuldeep, these four are also on the standby list. Prasad made it clear that even though IPL is a premier domestic tournament, the performance of players in the event can't be the sole criteria for selecting a squad for a 50-over tournament. "We respect IPL but in the longer format, we have to also consider the English conditions that we are playing in. Not just IPL but one needs to take into account the performance of last one year also in such a big tournament," Prasad said. With no surprises in the team, Prasad said it was an easy team to pick as it has shaped up well in the last four months. "May be one place here and there. But this is the best side." Veteran opener Gautam Gambhir, who has been performing well in the IPL, was not even discussed. "As of now, we have picked Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma as openers and Ajinkya Rahane is the back-up opener," Prasad replied when asked about Gambhir. Premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who has skipped the IPL owing to a sports hernia injury, has been included in the squad. Explaining the decision, Prasad said Ashwin's injury was not that serious and he merely required some rest. "The injury was not serious. The franchise was magnanimous enough to listen to our request to rest him. Rest is what Ashwin required as the last game that India played, he was there. That shows he is fit and not like others who are getting rehabilitated after surgery," Prasad said. Asked if Virat Kohli or Ravindra Jadeja needed some rest from the IPL, Prasad responded in the negative. "Virat didn't play the last Test and also the first few matches in IPL. The more he plays, it is better for him. We have also given Jadeja a break. (But) considering how fit he is, it wasn't a problem," he said. Mahendra Singh Dhoni remained India's first choice wicketkeeper. Squad: Virat Kohli (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar. StandBy: Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Shardul Thakur, Suresh Raina. Administrative Manager: Kapil Malhotra (Cricket Club of India).