Reports: Murali Vijay had been assured by MS Dhoni of World Cup berth

Murali Vijay and MS Dhoni

Reports suggest that opening batsman Murali Vijay was strongly backed by captain MS Dhoni to be included in India’s 2015 World Cup squad, but the selectors chose to overrule him and opt for the all-rounder Stuart Binny in his stead.

A source close to Murali Vijay has said that the Tamil Nadu man was assured by Dhoni in the course of the ongoing tour of Australia that he would feature in the World Cup in Oz country later this year. However, Dhoni did not have his way in the selection meeting on Tuesday, and Binny’s all-round abilities were put ahead of Vijay’s role as a specialist batsman.

With a total of 402 runs, Vijay has been one of India’s more successful batsmen in Australia, and he is rightly one of the most disappointed at the list of 15 announced. Former captain Sourav Ganguly has also said that he would have opted for the specialist batsman for the World Cup.

Dhoni also wanted Mohit Sharma in World Cup team

The selectors had a short interaction with Virat Kohli, the new Indian captain in the Test format, before making their decision. Dhoni, who is used to having a considerable say in team selection matters, has been given a snub of considerable proportions by the exclusions of his Chennai Super Kings team-mates Vijay and Mohit Sharma.

The source has also reported, “Dhoni had prepared Mohit with the World Cup in mind. An injury sometime back didn't go in his favour, but he was still fit and the captain would have liked to have him in the team".