The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the Indian squad for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, where they left out Ambati Rayudu and Rishabh Pant. Ever since the team was announced, it has been under the scrutiny of former cricketers and experts. They are seeking the answers for Rishabh Pant’s exlusion and ignorance for Rayudu, who had been doing well until Australia series. But VVS Laxman still sees this as the most balanced Indian squad.

MSK Prasad, chief selector, mentioned that Vijay Shankar has been picked for the number four spot and KL Rahul can also play in the middle-order, whatever suits the team management most. He also gave a clarification for Rayudu’s exclusion. Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja also made the cut, who was not even in the contention prior to the Asia Cup 2018.

Also Read: BCCI announced Indian squad for the World Cup

Amidst, former Indian batsman VVS Laxman came in support of the squad picked by selectors and labeled it as a balanced squad. He looked happy for the inclusion of Vijay Shankar, who proved his batting potential against Australia as well as in initial games of IPL.

“The Indian team is very balanced and one of the strong contenders for the title. I have monitored Bhuvi and Vijay in the nets while they were on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) duties. They look in great shape and are raring to perform on a stage like the World Cup. I can see these players contributing to the team’s success in a major way,” the SRH mentor was quoted as saying by Times Now.

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Bhuvneshwar Kumar is slowly getting back in his groove before the World Cup and he may get rested before the all-important tournament, which will begin from May 30.

Squad: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, KL Rahul, Dinesh Karthik.