WTC final: India announce 15-man squad, KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Shardul Thakur among those who fail to make the cut

With three days left before the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand, India announced their 15-man squad, which saw some prominent names miss out.

The BCCI took to Twitter to announce the squad on Tuesday (June 15) evening. Kohli went with his familiar attacking pattern of five bowlers, and the debate between Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami was laid to rest as both quicks made it to the 15-member WTC squad.

Following their 3-1 series triumph over England at home earlier this year, India finished as the No. 1 side in the WTC points table. Virat Kohli's men recorded 72.2 percentage points, booking a date with Kane Williamson's formidable Kiwi side in the WTC final.

Ahead of the game, former Australian spinner Brad Hogg was one of the experts who opined that Shami should open the bowling for India in the WTC final.

Sharing his bowling plan for the Indian bowlers on his YouTube channel, Hogg said:

Twitter reacts: Fans predict the playing XI ahead of WTC

Fans on Twitter replied to BCCI's tweet by picking out their playing XIs ahead of the all-important match.

India's squad for WTC and England series

Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (Captain), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohd. Shami, Md. Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul (subject to fitness clearance), Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper; subject to fitness clearance).

Standby players: Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Arzan Nagwaswalla

About the author

Aharon Abhishek is a basketball writer at Sportskeeda, bringing 9 years of rich reporting experience to his role. With a Master’s degree in Journalism, Aharon's passion for basketball dates back to 2008 when he began following the NBA closely. He specializes in stat-based pieces and athlete profiles, and is a firm believer of conducting thorough research to craft compelling content.

A fan of the Lakers and Bulls for their legacy and rich history, Aharon admires the competitive nature of basketball and how only a few seconds decide any game. He highly regards Kobe Bryant and LeBron James for their prowess on the court.

Phil Jackson stands out as Aharon's favorite basketball coach, revered for his astute understanding of the game. For him, Michael Jordan's final shot of his legendary career stands out as his favorite basketball moment of all time.

When not catching up with basketball, Aharon enjoys playing Cricket, reading and exploring different types of coffee.

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