Former Indian batting coach Sanjay Bangar has unveiled his 15-member squad for the upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup, shedding light on his strategic choices. Among these choices, the inclusion of relatively inexperienced left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh stands out, while all-rounder Shardul Thakur finds himself sidelined.

As the cricketing world gears up for the highly anticipated 2023 ODI World Cup scheduled from October 5 to November 19 in India, discussions about squad selections have been at the forefront. In the lead-up to the main event, India’s participation in the Asia Cup has been a crucial touchpoint. According to BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar, the composition of the World Cup squad will closely mirror that of the Asia Cup.

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Bangar, in his role as former batting coach, has presented his preferred 15-member squad for the mega event. His envisioned lineup includes five specialist batters, two wicketkeeper-batters, two spin-bowling all-rounders, one pace-bowling all-rounder, one specialist spinner, and four fast bowlers.

“My specialist batters would be Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, while wicket-keeper batters are Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul,” Bangar shared during an interview with Star Sports.

Sanjay Bangar’s World Cup squad of India. pic.twitter.com/p5Wil4IijU

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) August 25, 2023

“For spin-bowling all-rounders, I would prefer both left-armers – Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja. One pace bowling all-rounder would be Hardik Pandya, while the specialist spinner would be Kuldeep Yadav. The four fast bowlers would be Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh,” he concluded.

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Yet, the inclusion of Arshdeep Singh in the squad has raised eyebrows. With a mere three ODIs to his name, the young left-arm pacer might be considered inexperienced by some standards. Interestingly absent from India’s Asia Cup roster, Arshdeep’s selection underscores Bangar’s confidence in the player’s untapped potential. Despite his limited exposure in ODIs, Arshdeep boasts an impressive T20I track record, having claimed 50 wickets in 33 matches at an average of 18.98 and an economy rate of 8.48.