Sarfaraz Khan, Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad to fly to England as standby players for WTC Final

The WTC Final is scheduled to take place from 7-11 June at The Oval in London.

Sarfaraz Khan, Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad to fly to England as standby players for WTC Final

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced India’s squad for the World Test Championship Final a few days back. While the Indian board did not name any standby player then, a few reports have emerged claiming the name of the standby players for the WTC Final in June. Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan, Maharashtra’s Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Jharkhand’s Ishan Kishan are among the names who have been identified as standby players.

Notably, the WTC Final is scheduled to take place from 7-11 June at The Oval in London. India and Australia will battle it out in the summit clash of the two-year-long cycle. Both teams have named their squads for the big clash. While Australia named a 17-member squad with Pat Cummins leading them, India will have 15 members to choose from while Rohit Sharma will lead the side.

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There were a few notable things in the 15-member squad. Ajinkya Rahane got a Test recall after almost a year and a half, while the likes of Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, and Jasprit Bumrah missed out due to injuries. Also, the BCCI did not name any vice-captain. KL Rahul retained his place in the squad despite a string of failures.

Related: India Squad for WTC Final: Ajinkya Rahane returns as BCCI announces 15-member squad

Nevertheless, the squad has been named and if the reports are to be believed, the standby players have also been identified. Apart from Khan, Gaikwad, and Kishan, there are two more players who will be travelling to England with the Indian team- Mukesh Kumar and Navdeep Saini. Both these pacers had a good domestic season. While Kumar was the leading pacer for Bengal, Saini had a good outing with India A in Bangladesh.

Did MS Dhoni suggest Ajinkya Rahane’s name for WTC Final?

ajinkya rahane ms dhoni

A report in the Times of India has claimed that it was Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni who suggested Ajinkya Rahane’s name for the WTC Final. As Rahane is playing his trade for CSK in IPL 2023 and is doing a fair bit of a job for the four-time champions, Dhoni might have put forth Rahane’s name for the squad.

“Meanwhile, TOI understands that inputs from former India and Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni have been taken by the Indian team management and the selection committee before Ajinkya Rahane was recalled,” claimed the report.

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