India’s World Cup squad Announcement Today: Will Ashwin take Axar Patel’s place? Rohit Sharma says…

Indian team are set to announce their final squad for the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 today amidst doubts about changes in the provisional squad that was released earlier this month. According to an ICC release, all teams must finalize their 15-player World Cup squads prior to September 28 and any replacements from thereon will require the approval of ICC.

“When we talk about the 15 we are very clear what we want. We are not confused; we know where we are headed as a team. It’s a team sport and we want everyone to come and play their part – that’s how we win championships. It’s about looking after the body and try and stay fresh for the next one and half months,” Rohit Sharma said.

While most of the players in the 15-member squad are likely to remain unchanged, questions have risen about finding a place for veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in India’s World Cup squad with Axar Patel currently being injured with a quadriceps strain. However, reports suggest that Patel could be fit before the Men in Blue’s World Cup campaign begins on October 8.

Ashwin Vs Patel

Moreover, Ashwin’s performance in the recently concluded ODI series against Australia has made the choice even more difficult. The 37 year old could add the much-needed variation to India’s bowling lineup which currently lacks an off spinner. Patel, on the other hand, is much better batter at the number 8 spot, with his performance in the last year or so being testament to that.

However, Indian captain Rohit Sharma has maintained that he is ‘very clear’ about the 15-member squad for the ODI World Cup 2023. While speaking at the post match presentation on Wednesday, Indian captain said, “When we talk about the 15 we are very clear what we want. We are not confused; we know where we are headed as a team. It’s a team sport and we want everyone to come and play their part – that’s how we win championships. It’s about looking after the body and try and stay fresh for the next one and half months.

He said, “I’m pretty happy, of course I would like to go all the way along but if I’m hitting like that I’m happy. The last 7-8 ODIs we have played really well, we have been challenged under different conditions and different teams, I thought we responded to that challenge pretty well. Unfortunately not the result we wanted today. [on Bumrah] I’m pretty happy, more importantly how he feels body-wise, he has got so much skill, one bad game can happen to anyone. How he feels mentally and body-wise is key for us and that’s looking good for us.”