The BCCI on Monday announced the 15-member Indian squad for the 2011 World Cup beginning from February 19. The team comprises seven batsmen, one all-rounder, four pacers and three specialist spinners
Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina have been retained from the present team on a tour of South Africa. Vice-captain Virender Sehwag, who had opted out of the ODI series in South Africa, has made a return for cricket's biggest event.
Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Praveen Kumar and Ashish Nehra will take care of pace-bowling while Harbhajan, R. Ashwin and Piyush Chawla form the spinners' trio.Yusuf Pathan has been handed the all-rounder's job. Wicket-keeping has been entrusted entirely to captain M.S. Dhoni. Those who failed to find a place in the team include spinner Pragyan Ojha, pacer S. Sreesanth and all-rounder Rohit Sharma. The selection panel, headed by chief selector K. Srikkanth, chose the team out of a list of 30 probables. Dhoni and coach Gary Kirsten, who are currently busy with the ODI series in South Africa, were also part of the consultations done through teleconferencing.
- MS Dhoni (C)
- Sachin Tendulkar
- Virender Sehwag
- Gautam Gambhir
- Yuvraj Singh
- Suresh Raina
- Virat Kohli
- Yusuf Pathan (all-rounder)
- Zaheer Khan
- Ashish Nehra
- Munaf Patel
- Praveen Kumar
- Harbhajan Singh
- R. Ashwin
- Piyush Chawla
Chief selector K. Srikkanth said a well-balanced team had been picked up keeping in mind the ground and wicket conditions in the sub-continent. "We have selected the best combination after consultations with the captain and the coach. I am confident the team will win the World Cup for us," Srikkanth said in Chennai. He brushed aside concerns over fitness of the players, saying: "Every team has injury concerns. Why worry about it?"
