The 2027 ICC World Cup will be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Aakash Chopra, a former India opener, evaluated and assessed Ravi Shastri's India team for the ICC 2027 World Cup. Namibia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa will all co-host the ICC competition.
Shreyas Iyer, senior batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and captain Shubman Gill were all part of Shastri’s India squad, which Chopra said was on the expected lines.
He was a bit shocked by Yashasvi Jaiswal's inclusion as the backup opener. Additionally, Shastri chose Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul as his wicketkeepers.
"He has picked Yashasvi Jaiswal. Very interesting choice. He has given many opening options. With KL Rahul, he has picked Rishabh Pant. This is a slightly different team he has made. Jaiswal has two ODI hundreds, yes. But will he make it? This is a tough question. Pant has been treated unfairly in ODIs; let's be fair. You dropped him without playing him, but will he be part of the team now? So late, or rather, so close to the World Cup? Ishan is the flavor of the month right now," Chopra said in a video on his social media.
Chopra agreed with Shastri in selecting Hardik Pandya as the seam bowling all-rounder and Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja as two true all-around spin alternatives, leaving out players like Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy.
"He has included two left-arm spinners (all-rounders), Axar and Jadeja, along with Hardik Pandya. His team does not have a place for Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar, so he's gone with two spinners, who are experienced and proper all-rounders. It makes sense,” he added.
Ravi Shastri’s India squad for the 2027 World Cup saw Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Shami, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar as the bowlers.
Chopra stated that Bumrah, Siraj, and Kuldeep were the correct options. However, given the presence of Jaiswal, Pant, Shami, and Bhuvneshwar, he believed that this squad was unlikely to be selected. He rated the team eight out of ten.
"Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammad Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Kuldeep Yadav. Kuldeep, Siraj, and Bumrah, no questions asked. But both Shami and Bhuvneshwar—these are very interesting choices. With Shami, Bhuvneshwar, Pant, and Jaiswal as well, this is a very interesting team. I will give this team an 8/10 because I feel a team like this may not be selected unless he becomes the selector himself. I feel a left-arm fast bowler is missing, and it is not a likely 15," he concluded.
Ravi Shastri's India squad for 2027 World Cup:
Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammad Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav