Talking points from India's 2019 World Cup squad announcement

KL Rahul is the reserve opener

There are no surprises in KL Rahul being picked as the third opener. He’s had a tough few months but has come back strongly. He was struggling in red-ball cricket and also lost his place for a Test match in Australia. However, he didn’t get a lot of chances in the limited-overs formats. He played as India’s No. 4 in England last year for a couple of games before he went back to warm the benches.

However, he had a good run in the short T20I series against Australia in late February and his current IPL form has also been brilliant. Hence, he slots in as the reserve opener. In fact, he can double up as a backup middle-order batsman too if the need arises. He has done it in the past, though he hasn’t been successful he can do the job as well.

“To begin with KL (Rahul) will be reserve opener, if the need arises the team management will take a call,” MSK Prasad was quoted saying when he was quizzed on Rahul’s inclusion.