Shastri now says picking three keepers in World Cup squad was illogical

Former head coach Ravi Shastri has said that picking three wicketkeepers in India's 2019 ODI World Cup squad was not logical and either Ambati Rayudu or Shreyas Iyer could have been picked for the mega event in England.

A few months before the 2019 World Cup, captain Virat Kohli had said that Rayudu would be the team's No. 4 for the tournament. However, when the M S K Prasad-led selection committee picked the squad for the mega event, Rayudu was not selected.

Now, Shastri in an interview with Times of India has revealed that either Ambati or Shreyas Iyer should have been selected instead of three wicketkeepers.

"I had no say in that (team selection). But I wasn't okay with three wicketkeepers being picked for the World Cup. Either Ambati or Shreyas could've come in. What was the logic in having M S Dhoni, Rishabh (Pant), and Dinesh (Karthik) altogether?," asked Shastri.

However, the 15-member squad initially featured Dhoni and Karthik as keepers. Pant was picked only once Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out after picking up an injury in the group game against Australia.  

 

The former head coach also mentioned that he never interfered in the team's selection.

"But I never interfered with the selectors' work, except when I was asked for feedback or as part of a general discussion," he said.

India had a good run in the 2019 ODI World Cup, losing only one game against England in the group stage. However, they suffered a major collapse in batting and lost to New Zealand in the semifinals in Manchester.