India’s 2023 World Cup squad will be finalized soon. The BCCI has named a preliminary 15-man squad. If needed, the team management can make changes to the squad until September 28. As of this writing, this is what the Indian squad for the mega event looks like:
Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Axar Patel, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.
The players who could not make it to the 15-man list should not be disappointed. Rishabh Pant and Mayank Agarwal joined the Indian squad as replacements during the 2019 World Cup. Here are four such Indian batters who could be added as replacements in the 2023 World Cup squad if needed.
1. Sanju Samson can join India’s World Cup 2023 squad
Sanju Samson was in the race to make it to the squad, but KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan ended up overtaking him for a place in the squad. If needed, Samson could be drafted into the squad as a replacement.
2. Tilak Varma can join India’s World Cup 2023 squad
The team management has a lot of faith in Tilak Varma, who recently made his debut in Asia Cup 2023. If the team needs a left-handed batter, they can pick Tilak Varma later.
3. Shikhar Dhawan
Another left-handed batting option available as a backup option for India is Shikhar Dhawan. The veteran Indian opener has an envious record in ICC tournaments. Someone like him can really benefit the squad a lot.
4. Ruturaj Gaikwad
The Indian team management added Ruturaj Gaikwad to India’s ODI squad for the upcoming series against Australia. It is a clear sign that if needed, Gaikwad may also be added to the Indian squad for the World Cup later this year.
