On Tuesday, India officially unveiled their 15-member World Cup squad during a press conference led by Captain Rohit Sharma and Chief Selector Ajit Agarakar. The squad, which was largely unchanged from the Asia Cup, saw the omission of Tilak Varma, Prasidh Krishna, and Sanju Samson.
However, a moment of controversy emerged during the press conference when a journalist inquired about the highly anticipated India-Pakistan clash scheduled for October 14. Rohit Sharma visibly displayed his displeasure at the question, emphasizing that their sole focus was on the World Cup and urged reporters not to distract from their tournament preparations with such queries.
The 36-year-old skipper emphasized the professionalism of the players and their ability to maintain concentration on their tasks. Rohit’s impassioned response quickly became a talking point on social media platforms, sparking reactions and discussions among Twitter users.
— andre bapat (@AndreBapat82195) September 5, 2023
Rohit sharma in press conference 🔥🔥🔥#Worldcup2023 pic.twitter.com/hJmt6rjQRd
— Awadhesh Mishra (@annnnshull) September 5, 2023
The absence of an off-spinner in the team could pose challenges for India when facing teams with a significant number of left-handed batsmen. Nevertheless, Ajit Agarkar justified the inclusion of left-arm unorthodox spinner Kuldeep Yadav.
“We initially aimed for an off-spinner, but opting for Kuldeep Yadav provides us with a more balanced squad. We are content with the bowlers we’ve selected,” remarked Agarkar.
India’s World Cup 2023 squad : Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav.