Shardul Thakur
The All-India Senior Selection Committee after a discussion with the team management has added Shardul Thakur to the main squad ahead of the T20 World Cup.
All-rounder Axar Patel, who was part of the 15-member squad will now be on the list of standby players. Shardul, currently a part of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) contingent, has taken 18 wickets in 15 matches of the ongoing IPL edition.
"The selectors felt that they were one pacer short and also with Hardik Pandya not bowling, they needed an all-rounder in the main squad," a source close to the selection committee told PTI.
"Axar remains in stand by and if Ravindra Jadeja gets injured, he will again be back in the main team. Till Jaddu plays, Axar won't be required."
In the warm-up fixtures of the T20 showpiece, India will take on England on October 18 in Dubai and then square off with Australia on October 20 at the same venue. India are scheduled to start their T20 World Cup campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 24.
SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) pace sensation Umran Malik and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) bowling spearhead Harshal Patel will also assist India's preparations in Dubai. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) opener Venkatesh Iyer will also be a part of the Virat Kohli-led unit.
India’s squad for ICC T20 World Cup: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami
Stand-by players: Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Axar Patel
The following cricketers will also join the Indian team bubble in Dubai: Avesh Khan, Umran Malik, Harshal Patel, Lukman Meriwala, Venkatesh Iyer, Karn Sharma, Shahbaz Ahmed and K. Gowtham.
