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The ICC outlined August 29 (preliminary deadline) and September 5 (final deadline) as the dates for teams participating in the 2023 World Cup to announce their respective squads.
While that might change, with questions over the schedule of the tournament, there is reason to believe that Team India may have played their last complete ODI assignment before having to name their contingent for the marquee ICC event.
The Men in Blue recently faced off against West Indies in a three-match series, which they won 2-1 while being without several first-choice stars. They have the Asia Cup and a three-match series against Australia on their ODI calendar before the World Cup, but they will need to have made most of their decisions well ahead of those two fixtures.
What will India's 15-man squad for the tournament look like? In this article, we attempt to predict the route the selectors will take following the conclusion of the West Indies ODI series.
The certainties
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav.
This section is fairly straightforward, with these seven players guaranteed to find a place in the World Cup squad.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are India's two most important batters, with Shubman Gill close behind. Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya are their most important all-rounders. Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav have become the side's frontline options in the ODI format, and both bowlers have been in excellent form.
The "will be selected if fit" category
Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah.
Jasprit Bumrah has been appointed India's captain for their T20I series against Ireland in August, and if the fast bowler can reach full fitness by the time the Asia Cup rolls around, he's certain to lead the pace attack in the World Cup. As of now, though, we cannot jump to any conclusions regarding his involvement since he has already suffered a recurrence of his back injury.
Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul have started practicing at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, but they weren't named for the Ireland series. Reports suggest that the duo might not be fit for the Asia Cup as well, leaving very little time for them to make the World Cup grade.
It wouldn't be wise for India to include two undercooked players in a tournament as important as the World Cup, but they're no closer to finding middle-order answers and are desperate for some stability. Even if Shreyas and Rahul are short on match practice, they could be slotted in at No. 4 and No. 5 respectively.
There is competition, but they'll probably make it
Mohammad Shami, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Ishan Kishan.
Mohammad Shami has played eight ODIs in 2023 and is likely in the selectors' plans for the World Cup. Although he was rested for the West Indies series, he should return to the fold during the Asia Cup. Since there has been no official confirmation on the same, though, the fast bowler is placed in this category.
Shardul Thakur and Ishan Kishan, in all likelihood, nailed down their spots in the squad with their performances in the Caribbean. While the former picked up wickets by the bucketload and offers something no other pacer in the country can (lower-order batting), the latter racked up three consecutive fifties.
Yuzvendra Chahal is the only other wrist-spinner in the mix right now apart from Kuldeep, so he should serve as his younger partner's backup at the World Cup. India will want the option of a specialist spinner on the bench.
Axar Patel, meanwhile, will be Jadeja's replacement after an excellent run of performances across formats over the last two years. This has become especially certain after Washington Sundar, the other finger-spinning all-rounder in contention, was named in the Asian Games squad. Axar might even play alongside Jadeja if there are any rank turners.
There is competition, and they might not make it
Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson.
The fortunes of these two players hinge almost entirely on whether Shreyas and Rahul recover in time.
Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson have batted at various positions in the ODI middle order over the last year without being able to nail any spot down. As things currently stand, they're unlikely to be in the picture if Shreyas and Rahul are back.
Samson will be picked as the backup wicket-keeper if Rahul is unfit, while Suryakumar is presumably being viewed as a finisher who can bat at No. 6. They might not make it, though.
The contenders who are probably out of the mix
Umran Malik, Prasidh Krishna, Jaydev Unadkat, Mukesh Kumar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Washington Sundar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Deepak Chahar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, Avesh Khan, Rishabh Pant.
Umran Malik was dropped for the third ODI against West Indies and has been rather unreliable. Umran's replacement in that contest, Jaydev Unadkat, played his first ODI in almost a decade and is likely to be picked in the World Cup squad.
Prasidh Krishna will return from a long-term injury against Ireland, and he too is unlikely to be trusted. Deepak Chahar's fitness hasn't held up even in the shortest format, and he hasn't been picked lately.
Mukesh Kumar has made an impression, but he's experienced and slightly one-dimensional. Arshdeep Singh hasn't made the ODI squads of late. Moreover, these two, along with Avesh Khan and Ravi Bishnoi, have been picked for the Asian Games.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Washington Sundar are probably out of contention for similar reasons (Asian Games + not having made a real statement in ODIs yet).
Shikhar Dhawan and Ravichandran Ashwin have fallen out of favor in white-ball cricket. There was an outside chance of the former making the World Cup squad, but Kishan's excellent displays as an opener in the Caribbean might have shut that door, unless there's a last-minute change with respect to the fitness of either Shreyas or Rahul.
Rishabh Pant has started batting in the nets according to the BCCI's latest medical update, but the World Cup is surely too soon for the dashing keeper-batter.
India's predicted 15-man squad for the 2023 World Cup: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Ishan Kishan (wk), Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel.
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