Former India batter and 2007 T20 World Cup winner Robin Uthappa has picked his preferred 15-member India squad for the 2027 ODI World Cup. The 40-year-old has included 15-year-old opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Sanju Samson while excluding several regulars from India’s current white-ball setup.
The 2027 ODI World Cup is scheduled to take place from October 4 to November 21 across South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. With the marquee tournament approaching, Team India will need to build a strong combination that can handle the pace and bounce expected in South African conditions.
Robin Uthappa Picks His India Squad for 2027 ODI World Cup
Robin Uthappa revealed his preferred 15-member India squad for the 2027 ODI World Cup in a video on his Instagram account on Wednesday, August 19. The former India batter picked Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as his three opening options.
Sooryavanshi is yet to make his ODI debut for India but Uthappa included him in the squad. In the middle order, Uthappa selected Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul, with Sanju Samson as the second wicketkeeper.
Uthappa preferred Samson over Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan for the 15-member squad. He also picked Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja as the three all-rounders, while Kuldeep Yadav is the only specialist frontline spinner in his selection.
Uthappa included Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, and the experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Bhuvneshwar last played an ODI for India in January 2022. The 36-year-old has taken 141 wickets in 121 ODIs at an average of 35.1 and an economy rate of 5.08.
Robin Uthappa's 15-member India squad for the 2027 ODI World Cup:
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh.
India produced a dominant campaign in the 2023 ODI World Cup, winning all 10 of their matches before losing to Australia in the final. Rohit Sharma's side topped the league stage and defeated New Zealand in the semifinal. However, they were outperformed by Australia in the summit clash in Ahmedabad.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan Among Major Omissions
Uthappa ignored several established names from India's white-ball setup. Yashasvi Jaiswal is one of the biggest omissions despite scoring 285 runs in six ODIs, including two centuries.
Wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has scored 1,107 runs in 32 matches, including two centuries and seven half-centuries. Uthappa opted for Samson as Rahul's backup behind the stumps.
Washington Sundar is another notable omission. The all-rounder has scored 445 runs and taken 30 wickets in 34 ODIs, including two half-centuries. Nitish Kumar Reddy also failed to make the cut. Reddy has scored 100 runs and taken two wickets in six matches.
Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna are the other prominent omissions from the bowling department. Rana has taken 26 wickets and scored 124 runs in 14 ODIs, while Krishna has claimed 50 wickets in 28 matches, including one five-wicket haul.
