The Indian cricket team has been grappling with fitness difficulties, which has raised significant doubts about the team for the ODI World Cup. Rishabh Pant won’t be available for the upcoming world cup, so K L Rahul will be the first pick for the playing eleven. If Sanju Samson is willing to take on the duty, sources claim that he could be the backup candidate.
Wasim Jaffer discusses India’s ODI World Cup squad’s wicketkeeper
Wasim Jaffer reckons that if Rahul recovers from his thigh injury, he ought to be India’s first-choice wicketkeeper. Rahul has made significant progress in his recovery from surgery and is playing in the nets. Due to injury, Rishabh Pant is unlikely to compete, making Rahul an obvious possibility. The role of backup keeper will also be contended by Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson. Ishan, who can also open the batting, has a higher chance, in Jaffer’s belief, of being chosen as the second wicketkeeper.
Better fit: Ishan, Rahul or Samson
Sanju, however, may drop out as an effect of lack of consistency. Samson must perform well in the forthcoming ODI series against the West Indies in order to ensure his position in the squad. Wasim Jaffer suggests placing Kishan in the middle of the order till Rahul is fully recovered. Ishan Kishan is best placed in the middle order if he is included in the schedule and kept there until Rahul arrives to safeguard his place as the No. 2 keeper.
| Sanju Samson Batsman Ranking – ODI | |
| Role | Batsman/keeper |
| Current Rating | 403 |
| Current Ranking | 121 |
| Best Rating | 464 |
| Best Ranking | 81 |
| Total Runs | 284 |
| Batting Average | 71.00 |
Sanju Samson is the perfect fit as Rahul needs to bat in the middle order. His numbers have been good for the past three weeks, despite not being consistent. He will be picked for the World Cup if he plays well at No. 4 and scores runs. Ishan Kishan, on the contrary, has utterly fallen short in ODIs this season. In his 4 ODI games in 2024, the left-handed hitter struggled to score 33 runs. The Jharkhand player, however, set an ODI double ton record in December 2022 against Bangladesh.
Sanju’s comeback after seven months
The India vs. West Indies ODI and T20I series included wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson. Due to an injury, he has been excluded since January and only played in one T20I match against Sri Lanka. After being dropped from the ODI team for seven months, Sanju Samson, who played his last ODI against New Zealand on November 25, 2022, is making his return. In the ODI series versus the West Indies, he is expected to bat at number five and perform as a finisher and wicketkeeper. Samson will be expected to have a significant impact on the series.
The West Indies team is bound to become worried once Sanju Samson, India’s top match winner, enters the pitch. Samson is a prolific batsman in ODI and T20 cricket with 330 runs in 11 ODIs and 301 runs in 17 T20 Internationals.
India’s 2024 Cricket World Cup squad might be predicted based on the Asian Games.
India’s team for the Asian Games forecasts an expected lineup for the 2024 Men’s World Cup, which is only three months ahead. Considering their home record of winning three ODI World Cups, India, who is hosting the tournament for the very first time since 2011, has high expectations. India needs to focus on selecting a team of players with fewer than three months to go. Decisions have become quite difficult due to a string of injuries to a significant portion of the core group, notwithstanding the fact that the core of their first-choice XI in ODIs is consistent.
