Published: Apr 04, 2019, 06:29 PM (IST)
Edited: Apr 04, 2019, 06:29 PM (IST)
“I don’t see IPL having any influence on World Cup selection. I think that will be a very radical sort of analysis,†Indian skipper Virat Kohli had said before the India-Australia ODI series in March.
Rohit Sharma, his deputy in limited-overs cricket, echoed the same sentiments as he discussed whether India have a settled combination for the upcoming World Cup and if the performances in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 will have any bearings on the team selection for the mega event. (ALSO READ: IPL will have no bearing on World Cup selection, says Virat Kohli)
“I think we are pretty much settled (side). There are a few spots (that are up for grabs) which everyone knows about. But that all depends on what the captain, coach and the selectors think about the combination, whether they want to go with an extra seamer or an extra middle-order batsman or an extra opening batsman or an extra spinner,†Rohit said during an event in Mumbai on Thursday.
“So, it all depends (the team selection) because like KP (Kevin Pietersen) said the conditions in England will matter the most. The last time when we were there, the conditions were really dry, and I don’t know if it will be the same again there. If it is like that, then we need to get an extra spinner there as simple as that. And if that is not, then, probably, we will need to get an extra seamer then. So, it all depends on what they think, and I also understand we won’t know what the weather conditions will be like. We are going to pick the team in the next few days, if I am not wrong.” (ALSO READ: Rohit Sharma, Zaheer Khan offer advice to ICC World Cup-bound Indian players)
While Rohit, along with Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is all but certain to have booked a place in India’s World Cup squad, a couple of places are still up for the grabs. (ALSO READ: Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are India’s second-best opening pair in ODIs)
Although Rohit admitted the selectors will keep an eye on certain players during the IPL, keeping in mind the views of Kohli and Shastri, the tournament won’t determine who makes the cut to India’s World Cup squad.
“I have captained Mumbai Indians and I know how it works with the captain. That preference of the captain is very important, in terms of that extra player you want in your side, whether it is a batsman, bowler, spinner or whatever it is. So, I think Virat (Kohli) and Ravi Shastri will have to decide what exactly is that the combination that they want and what extra player or where is that extra cushion that they are looking for. That’s something that will matter the most. So, I think with their inputs, the selectors will keep an eye on those guys during the Indian Premier League (IPL),†said Rohit. (ALSO READ: Indian team management may use Vijay Shankar as surprise element at No. 4 for the World Cup)
“Although I feel IPL should not be the criterion for the team selection. We have played enough international matches to see where each individual stands because you can’t select a fifty-over format with a twenty-over (format). That’s my personal opinion. And IPL is a different ball game. It is a franchise cricket. Yes, the form matters, a lot, but again, like I said, in this last whole year, we have played enough one-day international matches, T20 cricket. So, that should be enough for the guys to understand that these are the players that we want.”
