BCCI announced the Team India squad for the 2019 World Cup that begins in England and Wales on 30 May. Dinesh Karthik was picked up as the second wicket-keeper in the team in place of Rishabh Pant and selectors backed Vijay Shankar to play the role of much-debated No 4 position. At the press conference, chief of selectors MSK Prasad said that the panel has covered all bases and has selected a balanced side for the show piece event in England. "We've covered all the bases, and this is one of the most balanced sides we have produced. We had discussed Khaleel and Saini, and they will be around. We've been planning. Let me frankly tell that in the last month or so, there were a couple of places which cropped up. We do have reserves," said MSK Prasad in the press conference. Here is the Team India squad for World Cup India’s squad for the ICC #CWC19 announced: Virat Kohli (Capt), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, MSD (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd Shami — BCCI (@BCCI) April 15, 2019 Balanced team? What do you say? Jadeja and Vijay Shankar both make the cut as I thought. Overall, very balanced side. Must feel for Pant though. Lost out marginally. But also lesson for him to improve his wk skills https://t.co/7Hqz0XSMLe — Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) April 15, 2019 Wrong to drop Rayudu? Ambati Rayudu must be shattered though. His place was deemed certain and he had even quit 4 day cricket to focus on this. But form is such a cruel mistress. The harder he tried the more he seemed to struggle. My heart goes out to him. — Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) April 15, 2019 DK is flying to England The chatter around the World Cup for a while was that Dinesh Karthik's place was safe but you never know till the team is announced. Either way, it was going to be hard on one keeper. The rest of the team is predictable. — Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) April 15, 2019 Unlucky Pant? Feel Rishabh Pant should have been included. #CWC19 — Anjum Chopra (@chopraanjum) April 15, 2019 More reactions on Rayudu, who was India's No 4 not a long time back not so long back Rayudu virtually had the endorsement of virat kohli, no less, to be India's number 4 at the world cup..in sport, there can be no guarantees.. — Gaurav Kalra (@gauravkalra75) April 15, 2019 More noise on Pant's exclusion as well Wasn’t Pant elevated to the top tier of the Central Contracts a few weeks back?? Not a certainty in two of the three formats. — Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) April 15, 2019 Some say that this is the best squad ever<doc-sep>Vijay Shankar’s inclusion Speaking on the inclusion of Shankar ahead of Rayudu, chief selector MSK Prasad said that Rayudu got an extended rope, but they went ahead with Shankar as he has the calibre to be a three-dimensional player in the World Cup. Read full story here. A look at the complete squad Pant’s exclusion “Definitely a case where we debated in length. We all were in unison that either pant or DK will come in only when Mahi is injured. In an important game wicket keeping is also important. That’s the reason we went with Dinesh Karthik” - MSK Prasad said when ask about the exclusion of Rishabh Pant. Vijay Shankar at No. 4 “After the Champions Trophy, we tried quite a few people [at No.4]. We gave a few more chances to Rayudu. What Vijay Shankar brings is three dimensional. We are looking at him at No. 4 to begin with.” - MSK Prasad. KL Rahul as opener “To begin with, KL Rahul will be the reserve opener. If need arises, the team management will take a call on him playing in the middle-order” - MSK Prasad. Karthik over Pant Sanjjeev K Samyal from Mumbai - “We discussed that Dinesh Karthik or Rishabh Pant will only play if MS Dhoni is injured , hence the keeping skills were considered,” Amitabh Choudhury said. Also, it was announced that four medium pacers will travel with the team apart from the 15. Reserves to be announced The reserves will be announced today. So, there is still some hope for Ambati Rayudu and Rishabh Pant who can find a place in the team if anyone picks up an injury. India’s World Cup squad Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami. Almost time Sanjjeev K Samyal from Mumbai - MSK Prasad and Amitabh Choudhury are here and the press conference will begin shortly. The meeting was mainly about the captain and the selectors’ choice of No 4, and couple of backup players. Press conference to begin shortly MSK Prasad and Amitabh Choudhury will be attending the press conference where they will be announced the squad for ICC World Cup 2019. Kohli ready to leave Sanjjeev K Samyal from Mumbai - The meeting for selecting the World Cup team is almost done. Captain Virat Kohli joined the five selectors at the BCCI cricket centre. Kohli came in a black Bentley at around 2. Australia’s World Cup squad Australia World Cup squad: Aaron Finch (capt), Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Steve Smith, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Jhye Richardson, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa Selection meeting begins Sanjjeev K Samyal from Mumbai - Virat Kohli is already inside the BCCI headquarters and the selection meeting for the World Cup squad is now underway. Virat arrives Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli is there at the BCCI headquarters and in some time, we will get to know which 15 cricketers will be representing India at the ICC World Cup 2019! Harbhajan’s advice Harbhajan Singh believes that the Indian cricket team does not need any back-up for MS Dhoni in the upcoming World Cup 2019. The veteran said that India should go with just one specialist wicket-keeper and that means both Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant will miss out. Read full story here. Time for Pant? Rishabh Pant is being widely tipped as the back-up wicket-keeper for Dhoni in this tournament and his big hitting ability means he could well make it to the playing XI just as a pure batsman, who will be assigned the finisher’s role. Mohammed Shami Mohammed Shami is experiencing a second wind in his white ball career and the seasoned campaigner could be crucial cog for India on wickets that will offer seam movement. This calendar year, Shami has scalped 19 wickets in 11 matches to make his case for a place in the WC squad. No place for Ashwin? Ravindra Jadeja leads Ravichandran Ashwin in the race for the third spinner’s slot. He has been playing regularly for India in ODIs for since the Asia Cup last year and his abilities as an all-rounder means Jaddu will be on that plane to England. The Spin Duo Kuldeep Yadav will lead the spin department and his impressive performances in the last English summer holds the chinaman in good stead. Yuzvendra Chahal is the other half of India’s deadly spin-twins and if the summer is as hot as it was last year and the pitches as dry, expect this wizard to spin a web around batsmen. Dhoni - The Saviour MS Dhoni, the man who has seen and done it all has one last crack at glory and his return to form as a batsman is the biggest positive India is taking into the showpiece event. Like fine wine, Dhoni is getting better with age as he was named the man of the series in Australia earlier this year. The wicket-keeper-batsman has four fifties in eight ODIs this year. Battle for No. 4 The Number 4 slot has been hotly debated and a lot of people have been tried for the position. On current form and ability, KL Rahul should get the nod ahead of Ambati Rayudu. Rahaul’s case has been bolstered by him scoring tons of runs in the ongoing edition of the IPL, where he currently takes the second spot in the Orange Cap list (335 runs in 8 matches). Remember he can also be a back-up opener in case of an injury. Pace Attack Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya are expected to do the bulk of the bowling though Kumar’s role will be equally significant considering the overhead conditions expected during the English summer. ICC rules require pitches for events like World Cup to be standardised at all venues but Lal said weather will be a factor. Video: HT’s Predicted XI Dhawan-Rohit combo With 363 runs, Shikhar Dhawan was India’s top-scorer during the 2013 Champions Trophy win in England. Two years ago, he aggregated 338 while Rohit Sharma totalled 304 in five matches even though India lost to Pakistan in the final. If these two fire, India will have a good chance of winning the World Cup title! Sanjay Manjrekar My Indian WC XI. Rohit Shikhar Virat Rayudu Kedar Hardik Dhoni Kuldeep Shami Chahal Bumrah Jadeja Rahul Pant Bhuvi. Note: Changed my mind on Shankar. — Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) April 15, 2019 A major surprise Deepak Chahar could well be the surprise pick by the selectors as he has been mighty impressive for the Chennai Super Kings this season. He has the trust of Dhoni and has shown good temperament, which might force the selectors to pick him as the fourth seamer for the marquee tournament. Ganguly’s Picks Sourav Ganguly termed the current Indian pace attack as ‘fantastic’ and said the duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami will play a crucial role during the World Cup. Here’s a look at his predicted squad. Vijay Shankar Vijay Shankar’s recent exploits in the India-Australia series however could tempt selectors to pick him as a back-up all-rounder as hardik Pandya has only recently recovered from a back niggle. Sehwag predicts Virender Sehwag, who has played in three World Cups, picked his own squad for the event. Here’s a look at what the former India skipper had to say about the team. Jadeja Factor Wrist spinners Kuldeep and Chahal are Kohli’s bowling aces for this World Cup. Though they didn’t have a great tour of England last year, the left-right combination is expected to keep a few batsmen on edge with their variations. It remains to be seen if the management backs Ravindra Jadeja. A prized fielder, Jadeja can spin the ball away from right-handers and — as illustrated in Chennai Super Kings’ recent win in Jaipur — adds depth to India’s batting. The back-up opener Convention suggests back-up opener is a must at a World Cup.<doc-sep>Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. 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That brings us to the end of the live blog. Thanks for tuning in! Rishabh Pant fails to make the cut. Do you think the youngster deserved the chance? Have your say here : Is Rishabh Pant unlucky to miss out on India's #ICCworldcup2019 squad? India's #ICCworldcup2019 squad announcement. Tune in for live updates from the BCCI press conference https://t.co/zt7wjxnjwJ — Sportstar (@sportstarweb) April 15, 2019 The squad is out! Here is India's final 15 for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019: Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma (VC) Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni (wicket keeper), Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Y. Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami. 3:15 pm: We're minutes away from the announcement of India's squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 and look who's in the house! It's the big man himself, skipper Virat Kohli. 3:00 pm: We've got another poll for you, who do you think will be India's No.4 in England? VOTE VOTE VOTE: Thirty minutes to India's #ICCworldcup2019 squad announcement Who will be India's No. 4 in England? une in for live updates from the BCCI press conference, where India's 15-member squad for the #ICCworldcup2019 will be announced.https://t.co/zt7wjxnjwJ — Sportstar (@sportstarweb) April 15, 2019 2:50 pm: That's as close as it can get half an hour prior to the squad announcement! Who will be India's second-choice keeper in the #ICCworldcup2019 squad? — Sportstar (@sportstarweb) April 15, 2019 Time to put the thinking caps on ◘ All-rounder Vijay Shankar makes the cut while out-of-favour batsman Ajinkya Rahane too finds a mention as former selectors choose their respective World Cup squads. Five former national selectors pick their squads| Team India for World Cup 2019 When the five-member national selection committee meets at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) headquarters in Mumbai on Monday to pick the 15-member squad for the Cricket World Cup 2019, the debate will likely be about the right choices for the second wicketkeeper and the No. 4 spot. Virat Kohli, India captain, had made it clear last month that the core of the team for the World Cup had been more or less finalisedin the last one year. He had admitted that only “one slot” was left to be filled. It led to talk on whether 21-year-old Rishabh Pant will be chosen as the second wicketkeeper ahead of the seasoned Dinesh Karthik. This is likely to be the highlight of the meeting. Who will be India's reserve wicketkeeper-batsman in England? Pant or Karthik? Pant has proved his worth for the national team over the last few months. Even though his wicketkeeping skills are not perfect, he has the ability to bat at any spot — between Nos. 1 and 7. His finishing skills have won him accolades from many former cricketers. That certainly puts him ahead of Karthik in the pecking order. Karthik was left out of the squad for the ODI series against Australia last month, and he has been able to gather only 111 runs so far (after the innings against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday) for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Pant, on the other hand, has 222 runs under his belt in the IPL. ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 — Full schedule, timings However, both Kohli and M. S. K. Prasad, the chairman of selectors, had indicated IPL form will have no impact in the selection of the squad for the World Cup. But with K. L. Rahul in fine form in the tourney — 335 runs for Kings XI Punjab — and doubling up as a wicketkeeper, the selectors may be tempted to look at him as a back-up wicketkeeping option. He is, of course, already in contention for the spot of the third opener.