Rohit Sharma has last played an ODI in October 2016 and Shami's time away extends to World Cup in 2015 in Australia and New Zealand.
The reason for these having to shoulder much of the responsibility is that Rohit will be returning after a long lay-off from the worldwide game, although the IPL would have given him sufficient time in the middle and Dhawan too for India has not been setting the field ablaze and hence at least in the initial stages, one doesn't know how they would get off the blocks.
In the bowling department, Ashwin is India's premier spinner and even though he opted out of the IPL, he will have the warm-up games to work his way back into rhythm. "I want to give it my very best", the pacer added. It is such performances in IPL, which might bother the selectors, who might also have to think about his long absence from the game. After playing a key role in India's success in an exhaustive home Test season, the latter skipped the Indian Premier League due to sports hernia.
"Right now I am focusing on my remaining matches in the IPL and would try to score as much as I can for the team's victory", said Raina, who scored 39 off 25 balls in team's six-wicket win against Kings XI Punjab at Mohali on Sunday night. "Obviously, when you speak to former players, you get valuable tips. We have to focus, help and guide each other", he said. We would be certainly giving our hundred per cent and the rest is luck.
"We only talk about his batting form, he's an invaluable asset to this team", Prasad said.
Like is the case with most Indian squads picked for any competition, it is the batting which is always the most powerful trait and it is no different here as well.
Opener Shikhar Dhawan and middle-order batsman Manish Pandey made a comeback but warhorses Harbhajan Singh and Gautam Gambhir failed to make the list.
PD: Drunk Driver Crashes Into Cruiser on I-95, Tries to Flee
According to State Police, the trooper's fully marked vehicle had his emergency lights activated at the time of the crash. The driver then attempted to run, but the trooper who was struck ran after him and caught him, said police.
The eight-team tournament will be played in June, with defending champions India pooled with South Africa, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Group B.
Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Yuvraj Singh, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Manish Pandey, Mohammed Shami.
MSK Prasad, the chief selector said that youngsters like Rishabh Pant, Shardul Thakur and Kuldeep Yadav were also considered.
Meanwhile, Prasad dispelled any doubts about Mahendra Singh Dhoni's future in worldwide cricket, terming him as the world's best wicketkeeper right now.
We feel that it is a balanced, experienced, and, from our view, the best team. We all believe he is still the best wicketkeeper in the world.
"He is an invaluable asset to the team and his inputs in crunch situations, he has got one of the best brains". In the last so many years that he has played, MSD has never had a bad day as far as his glove is concerned.
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