CHENNAI: Even as the senior selection committee sits down in Mumbai on Monday to pick the 15 tasked with the job of bringing back cricket's biggest prize — World Cup — for the third time, this newspaper has learnt the names of at least 14 of the 15 who will be on the bus to England come May. And Rishabh Pant happens to be one among them.
Virat Kohli, expectedly, will captain the side. The other 13, in no specific order, are likely to be Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Kedar Jadhav, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar and Pant. The last place is likely to go to Ravindra Jadeja over a fourth frontline seamer.
Among the above-mentioned names, Pant's inclusion will grab most of the eyeballs not least because of his limited experience in ODI cricket. It's also because the Test regular might be asked to bat at No 4, a position that has been an Achilles' Heel of sorts. That was also the position Kohli had suggested that was up for grabs before the Indian Premier League (IPL) began.
While none of those in contention have made a strong case for themselves in the ongoing IPL as well, it is understood that the Indian team management and selectors reckon Rishabh Pant can be the X-factor they badly need.
Considering how the team management had invested time in Dinesh Karthik the last 18 months before unceremoniously axing him for the home series against Australia is another reason why the southpaw's likely inclusion might grate a few.
A source indicated that Pant's ability to win matches on his own tipped the scales in his favour. But a caveat — his hit-out or get-out approach — hasn't yielded any positive returns so far in ODIs seems to have been overlooked because of his abilities. Another player who might be asked to walk in at No 4 in England is Vijay. The all-rounder had auditioned for the role during the series against Australia last month.
For the middle-order slot, Jadhav looks set to be favoured over Ambati Rayudu and Manish Pandey. The selectors are also ready to put their faith behind KL Rahul as the third choice opener as the right-hander can also be used at No 3, if India don't solve their No 4 puzzle. If this happens, Kohli is likely to bat at No 4.
While three spinners seem a luxury in England, insiders indicated that Jadeja will add more variety and can also help in terms of team balance. As a result, India may head to the World Cup with thin resources in the pace-bowling department as Shami, Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar have to share the burden. If it is a bit of a worry, given their workload in the recent months, then one of Jadeja or Vijay may make way for an extra-seamer, though that looks a distant possibility at the moment.
Predicted Squad: Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Kedar Jadhav, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja.