The schedule for the World Cup 2023 is out, recently released by the BCCI and the ICC. The 10-team tournament will kick-start on October 5 and will conclude on November 19 in Ahmedabad.
The last three ODI World Cups have been won by the home teams, the trot started by India in 2011, followed by Australia in 2015 and England in 2019. India would like to continue this sequence and clinch their third ODI World Cup trophy.
India, though, have some holes to fill because they are dealing with injuries to multiple players. This could lead to some surprise call-ups for the World Cup 2023 squad.
Here are 3 players who could be surprise entrants in India’s World Cup 2023 squad:
Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinya Rahane forced himself back into India’s Test side for the WTC Final, and now is also the vice-captain again, through scintillating domestic and IPL 2023 performances. A veteran batsman with loads of experience, can Rahane even force himself into the ODI side, having last played an ODI in 2018?
Ajinkya Rahane, who was part of the 2015 World Cup batting in the middle-order and he did well there, has an experience of 90 ODIs matches, wherein he averages 35 at a timid strike rate of 78. But he’s a different, freer, more aggressive Rahane now, as he showed in the IPL.
India are currently fretting over Shreyas Iyer‘s back injury and will try Suryakumar Yadav in the West Indies. But SKY has failed in the middle-order. India will also be without the aggressive Rishabh Pant in the middle-order. By some quirk of fate, as Rahane was recalled to the Test side for his experience, the selectors might ponder over recalling him in the ODI side as well.
R Ashwin
It is quite a rare time in the ODI team as the Indian team is without a genuine off-spinner in their side, with the four spinners being two leggies in Chahal and Kuldeep and two left-arm spinners in Axar and Jadeja. However, with every opponent now having a few left-handers in their line-up, India do need an off-spinner.
While until last year, it looked Sundar would be the off-spinning all-rounder moving forward, his injuries and dip in form hasn’t helped; he’s currently struggling for wickets even in TNPL.
Ashwin, who was part of the 2011 World Cup winning team and the side that reached the semis in 2015 WC in Australia, has an experience of 113 ODIs, picking up 151 wickets. As India nears the World Cup 2023, the veteran off-spinner who can also score some handy runs, Ashwin, could get a recall to the ODI side.
Mohit Sharma
One big area of concern for India is the pace attack with Jasprit Bumrah currently recovering from a long-term back injury. Even though Bumrah is reported make his comeback by August, he remains injury-prone and his participation in the World Cup 2023 remains uncertain. Thus, remains weaks is India’s pace attack, especially when it comes to death bowling.
While Siraj and Shami are terrific with the new ball and could do well in the middle-overs as well, they are simply not good in death overs as compared to Bumrah and some of the other pacers in the world.
This big hole in the Indian team could reopen doors for Mohit Sharma, who recently showed his incredibly elevated death-bowling skills and abilities in the IPL as he finished with 27 wickets, about half of which came in the last 4 overs, the death overs only.
Mohit last played for India in 2015 and was crucial in India reaching the semis in 2015 WC. He could be the surprise entry in India’s World Cup 2023 squad.
