Young wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant and veteran batsman Ambati Rayudu were on Wednesday named among the standbys for India’s World Cup squad, reigniting their dashed hopes of making the trip to the UK in case an injury setback hits the side.
Speedster Navdeep Saini also found a place in the list ofthree back-ups for the mega-event starting on May 30.
With the ICC doing away with the practice of lettingcountries announce a probables’ list before the final squad, the BCCI also hasthe option of including anyone apart from these three but it is unlikely tohappen.
Rayudu took to Twitter to take a dig at his omission fromthe squad of 15 on Tuesday. This was after chairman of selectors MSK Prasadjustified preferring Vijay Shankar over Rayudu, citing the former’s”three-dimensional qualities”.
In other developments, there will be no Yo-Yo Test for theWorld Cup-bound players as the IPL is going to end only on May 12, just a fewdays before India head to the UK. India are scheduled to play their openingWorld Cup match on June 5 against South Africa in Southampton.
“The players are already in the middle of a gruellingT20 season. Once the IPL ends, they will need recovery time.
“It’s not like that there is a gap between two series and you are having a test. If you are tired, the results may vary,” the official explained.