Who should be the '15th member' of India's World Cup squad?

The ICC Cricket World Cup is less than four months away and every team's attention is on it. Each of the ten participating nations will be looking to finalising their 15-man squad, including India. The team's comprehensive series wins in Australia and New Zealand show that the team is in great shape and that they are favourites to lift the trophy. Virat Kohli has a settled team and the selectors do not have a lot to worry about.

The World Cup squad

Rohit Sharma

At the moment, as many as 14 of the 15 members pick themselves. In Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli, the 2011 World champions have the best top three in the world. After a long couple of years of trying various personnel and combinations, India looks to have settled on Ambati Rayudu, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Kedhar Jadhav as the middle order. One of Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant will make the trip to England too.

Hardik Pandya in action in New Zealand

An injury and then a suspension by the BCCI had put Hardik Pandya's place in jeopardy. However, the all-rounder has returned and the 25-year old is set to be an integral member of India's campaign as the seam-bowling all-rounder. Ravindra Jadeja is the team's backup all-rounder and spinner should make the squad.

Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal are the chosen spinners

There is no debate in the bowling department, just like the top order. It's hard to see beyond Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvenshwar Kumar, with Mohammed Shami's recent resurgence likely to have ensured his participation as well. India's spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav is arguably the team's biggest strength.

Another fast bowler?

This means there is realistically only 'open' spot still available for selection. In the successful 2011 campaign, Piyush Chawla earned the 'wildcard' call up while Stuart Binny made the cut in 2015.

Khaleel Ahmed

A look at India's recent squads for ICC tournaments shows that Virat Kohli prefers four fast bowlers in the squad. So it is likely that the selectors will look to add another pacer in the team. But who? Over the last year or so, the team management has given Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj, Deepak Chahar, Siddharth Kaul and Shardul Thakur opportunities but none of them have impressed.

The choice then is the experienced Umesh Yadav, who played a pivotal role in the 2013 Champions Trophy win and India's run to the 2015 World Cup semi-final. While Yadav is the best option available right now, his form in limited-overs cricket has not been special. He has the tendency to concede a lot of runs with the white ball, especially in the death overs.

Backup opener

KL Rahul has been in terrible form recently

This team doesn't have a specialist to replace either of the openers. While Shubman Gill got a debut for the New Zealand series, India won't take him to the World Cup as just doesn't have the experience. For the past year, KL Rahul has been travelling with the squad as a reserve opener and one would assume he is the first option if they decide to take another.

However, Rahul does not have a significant run of scores to show in ODIs. In fact, he has featured in just 13 ODIs, scoring 317 runs at an average of 35.2. Moreover, his form across formats over the last few months does not inspire confidence.

Another option available to India is Ajiyanka Rahane. He has a lot of experience, but the last time he featured in an ODI was in February 2018 against South Africa. So it's unlikely that this will happen.

The team, though, will know that Ambati Rayudu can fill in as a backup opener. The 33-year old had a successful IPL season in 2018 at the top of the order for the Chennai Super Kings. He also scored a half-century as an opener in the Asia Cup against Afghanistan.

Both Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik

Rishabh Pant had made a mark in Tests

It is increasingly looking like only one of Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant will travel to England in May. Karthik has remained on the fringes of the team for more than a decade, but it seems he has found his place as a finisher. But while Karthik has not done anything to lose his place in the side, Pant is an exciting alternative. The dynamic youngster is a special talent who can score quickly.

While Pant got to go to the West Indies, Karthik was chosen for the tours of Australia and New Zealand. The latter's experience could mean he gets to go if it's a choice between the two. But by taking both to the World Cup, India can give themselves more firepower in batting.

Vijay Shankar

New Zealand v India - ODI Game 5

If there is one player for whom they don't have a backup, it's Hardik Pandya. An injury to the seaming all-rounder would force India to change their combination altogether. If Pandya is not in the team, Jadeja comes in as the all-rounder. This could result in one of Chahal and Kuldeep being dropped. But Jadeja doesn't have the same ability with the bat and he isn't as good with the bowl as the two spinners.

This is why taking Vijay Shankar could be the answer for India. While Shankar might not provide the same quality as Pandya, his presence means Indian can play both their two leg-spinners, just like in the third ODI in Australia and the first two games in New Zealand.

In India A's recent tour of New Zealand, he displayed skills as a competent finisher. Shankar was the top scorer in the series with 188 runs in three matches with an impressive strike rate of 105.02. In the last ODI against New Zealand, Shankar showed good temperament for International cricket and the ability to play out a tough situation. While he has not got a lot of bowling for either India or India A, he was opening the bowling for Tamil Nadu in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

With he might not be better than specialists with either bat or ball, Shankar is a useful utility player who can be a backup in multiple positions. He could be the seaming all-rounder or a middle-order batsman. While it's definitely a left-field choice, his inclusion could give India a more balanced 15-man squad and increase the variety of combinations that can be fielded.