Sourav Ganguly picks a surprise member in his India squad for 2019 World Cup
With the 2019 World Cup around the corner, the Indian selectors are in a tough spot as to which players can make it through to the 15-member India squad for the quadrennial event which begins March 30 in England and Wales. However, former India captain Sourav Ganguly has revealed his 15-member squad for the mega extravaganza and has added a player, who can be the Men in Blue's 'X factor'.
While there are a few common names out there with Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya making the cut with ease, Ganguly made an interesting disclosure, which is likely to leave Indian fans stunned.
In an exclusive chat with IndiaTV, Ganguly picked his World Cup squad based on sheer 'talent' and considering the conditions in England at the time.
"There are a few surprises in my team which is only based on sheer talent. In England, the need for pacers is highly important," Ganguly told IndiaTV.
This is Sourav Ganguly's India World Cup Squad -
Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma (VC), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Navdeep Saini
"According to me, this is the best possible team, there's no guarantee whether we can win the World Cup or not, but in England, you need four pacers. With Hardik's back giving trouble, we need pacers present and I feel that along with Bhuvneshwar, Jasprit and Shami, we need a pacer like Navdeep Saini. Out of Khaleel, Deepak Chahar, Umesh Yadav and Navdeep, I pick Navdeep. He may be inexperienced, but he has pace, can do brilliantly with the old ball and has good length. You need an X factor in your team which can be Navdeep," Ganguly told IndiaTV.
With the few common names present, Ganguly picked KL Rahul as his third opener given his recent performances and Rishabh Pant as second wicketkeeper for the Men in Blue.
"KL Rahul is in because we need a third opener and Rishabh Pant comes in as the second wicketkeeper. He can do brilliantly there."
However, not making Ganguly's squad is Ambati Rayudu. With the batsman pipped by Kohli to be the next No.4 batsman for India, Ganguly believes it is Vijay Shankar who is the 'ideal' No. 4 batsman. The former skipper heaped praise on Shankar given his recent performances and feels India need a 'technically sound' batsman such as Shankar.
Debating on as to why Ganguly picked Shankar over Rayudu, the former captain has his say.
"I feel Vijay Shankar has more quality and class, Rayudu has been handed many opportunities, but outside the sub-continent, the runs he has scored matters. In England, the new ball is very crucial which is brought in twice and you need a technically sound batsman who is Vijay."
Asked as to why didn't India's Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane make the cut, Ganguly believes that the player has to be selected given his form in white ball cricket.
"Ajinkya is a great player, but hasn't played ODI cricket for over a year. On the basis of form, I feel the team management feel confident about picking Vijay. Navdeep can be India's X factor for this World Cup," concluded Ganguly.
