Mendis, Tharanga fifties propel SL to 316

Another flowing century stand between Kusal Mendis and Danushka Gunathilaka formed the basis of Sri Lanka's commanding 316 for 5 against Zimbabwe in Galle, with Upul Tharanga also contributing an intelligent 79 not out.

The young batsmen had also been impressive during the Champions Trophy - their long partnership against India led to Sri Lanka's only victory in the tournament - and their association in Galle followed a familiar template. There were moments of fortune for Gunathilaka, but otherwise, the two men were quick to punish poor balls, and manipulated the field with precision. Mendis top-scored again, with 86 off 80 deliveries.

Zimbabwe's spinners found some turn, but it was mostly of the slow variety, rather than the fast, ripping spin that is often seen at Galle. The lack of genuine menace in the middle overs saw Sri Lanka move almost unchecked through parts of their innings, and a score in excess of 300 looked likely from the early overs. Seamer Tendai Chatara returned the best figures, claiming a wicket at either end of the innings, while also going at only 5.44 per over. Sean Williams, Graeme Cremer and Solomon Mire all claimed a wicket a piece.

Mendis' innings was fluent from the outset. He slapped Chatara in front of point, and then wide of mid-on, for successive fours in the ninth over as he claimed a steady string of fuss-free runs into the outfield while the ball was still new and the pitch afforded the quicks a little movement.

Soon, though, the surface flattened out completely, and Mendis began to make batting seem effortless. A disdainful pull off Mire at the end of the 17th over took him past 1000 ODI runs, making him the joint second-fastest Sri Lankan to the milestone, after Roy Dias (Mendis did it in 28 innings; Dias in 27). Not long after that, he flitted down the pitch and smote the left-arm spin of Williams over midwicket, against the turn. With that shot, Mendis reached his 11th career fifty. Since his debut in June last year, no other player has made more 50-plus scores in ODI cricket - Joe Root tied with Mendis at the top of that table, with 12 such scores.

Gunathilaka had, meanwhile, reached his own half-century the previous over, but his progress had not been as assured as Mendis'. Early in his innings, he flirted with deliveries from Donald Tiripano that left the bat, and in the 16th over, edged a Mire delivery, only for the ball to fall short of the keeper. But in between the strokes of good fortune, which included a top-edged six off Mire, there was some typically elegant strokeplay.

In the sixth over, bowled by Tiripano, Gunathilaka had hit an imperious straight boundary and a commanding pull. Later on, he took Mendis' lead in systematically mining the outfield for singles. With Sri Lanka advancing so smoothly through the middle overs, there was perhaps no reason to venture the reverse sweep off Williams that got him out. Perhaps, that shot was the result of wanting to raise his strike rate, as he was on 60 off 76 balls at the time. Nevertheless, the partnership - worth 117 off 127 balls - had set Sri Lanka on track for a strong total.

In the company of Tharanga, who was immediately comfortable at the crease despite having moved down to No. 4 in the batting order, Mendis began to bat with even more freedom - though that ambition also perhaps bring about his downfall. Having come down the pitch to launch Cremer over the straight boundary, Mendis was beaten in the flight two balls later, and sent a catch off the leading edge that was sharply held by the bowler.

Tharanga continued unflustered, however. He bided his time while Angelo Mathews blasted a 30-ball 43 to enliven the back half of the middle overs, and after Mathews' dismissal, switched to a more aggressive frame of mind. Flitting around the crease in the final overs, he struck 30 runs off the last 18 balls he faced, completing his 33rd career fifty in the process. Between him, Mathews and Asela Gunaratne, who contributed a spry 28 from 26, Sri Lanka managed 78 in the last 10 overs.

India vs Bangladesh Live Cricket Score, Champions Trophy 2017

India won the toss and chose to bowl in the second semi-final against Bangladesh in Edgbaston. This is the first encounter between these two sides in the tournament and Virat Kohli’s side are unchanged. Yuvraj Singh is playing his 300th ODI. The winner of this match will play Pakistan in the final. Catch live cricket score of India vs Bangladesh semi-final here.

18:20 hrs IST: Bangladesh end on 264/7 in 50 overs

18:16 hrs IST: Bhuvneshwar is down! He has hurt his leg in his follow through in the last over. Bangladesh, meanwhile, has crossed 260.

18:11 hrs IST: FOURS! Turning out to be a costly over for India as MOsrtaza goes after Bumrah. BAN 258/7 in 49 overs

18:10 hrs IST: FOUR! Lucky there! Tasking edges to Bhuvneshwar as the flies away to boundary. BAN 248/7 in 48 overs

18:04 hrs IST: FOUR AGAIN! Bumrah Yorker is edged by Mortaza and goes left of Dhoni to boundary. BAN 244/7 in 47 overs

18:01 hrs IST: FOUR! Mortaza gets some crucial runs as his mistimed pull gets the ball over Dhoni’s head towards four. BAN 231/7 in 46 overs

17:57 hrs IST: WICKET! Mahmudullah (21) out. BAN 229/7 (45)

Bumrah strikes again! He comes up with a gem of a yorker and rattles Mahmudullah stumps.

17:51 hrs IST: FOUR! Mashrafe Mortaza goes for the big one against Bhuvneshwar Kumar. BAN 226/6 in 44 overs

17:46 hrs IST: WICKET! Mosaddek Out, BAN 218/6 (42.3)

Bumrah gets his first wicket as Mosaddek mistimes pull is caught y the bowler himself.

17:42 hrs IST: FOUR! Now Mahmudullah reverse sweeps Ashwin for a boundary.

17:38 hrs IST: Bumrah is back in the attack and gets hit for a four by Mosaddek Hossain at mid-off. BAN 212/5 in 41 overs

17:35 hrs IST: Mahmudullah and Mosaddek Hossain have handled the collapse pretty well. BAN 206/5 in 40 overs

17:30 hrs IST: DROPPED! Mahmudullah is let off by Ashwin at third man off Pandya. BAN 197/5 in 39 overs

17:26 hrs IST: Ravindra Jadeja now has 16 wickets . Most by any Indian bowlers in ICC Champions Trophy. BAN 191/5 in 38 overs

17:24 hrs IST: FOUR! Mosaddek cuts Jadeja to ease the pressure a bit. BAN 188/5 in 37 overs

17:19 hrs IST: WICKET!Rahim (61) out! BAN 179/5 in 35.2 overs

Bangladesh feels the heat as Jadhav gets his second. Rahim tries to take the spinner through mid-wicket but is caught by Kohli, who is excited and is not shy of expressing it. he makes a funny face and the crowd the love it.

17:13 hrs IST: WICKET! Shakib (15) departs! BAN 177/4 in 34.2 overs

Jadeja gets his first wicket as Shakib tries got for a cut against the spinner and is caught behind by Dhoni. A brilliant attempt.

17:10 hrs IST: FOUR! A boundary after a long time for Bangladesh. Shakib slashes Jadeja for a four. BAN 175/3 in 33 overs

17:07 hrs IST: Jadhav continues from the other end. He has essayed the role of the third spinner pretty well. But Bangladesh have a deep batting line-up. BAN 167/3 in 32 overs

17:04 hrs IST: Jadeja has been miserly so far. He has given 33 runs in seven overs so far. BAN 164/3 in 33 overs

17:00 hrs IST: The drying up of boundaries mounted the pressure on Bangladesh. Still, Tamim looked set but a wild drive did him in. Shakib Al Hasan is the new batsman at the crease. BAN 161/3 in 30 overs

16:57 hrs IST: WICKET! Tamim Iqbal (70) departs! BAN 154/3 in 28 overs

The set batsman goes a wild drive but misses Kedar Jadhav’s line. He tried to take him over mid-wicket but is bowled.

16:54 hrs IST: The Edgbaston is basking in sunlight after a long time. No boundary for Bangladesh in the last three overs.

16:50 hrs IST: Rahim scores 26th half-century as Bangladesh reach 150-run mark in 26.2 overs

16:46 hrs IST: Jadeja bowls his fourth over as Mushfiqur Rahim is just four runs short of his half-century. BAN 142/2 in 25 overs

16:42 hrs IST: Tamim and Rahim’s stand has now crossed 100 run mark. They have handled the spin duo Ashwin and Jadeja pretty well. BAN 137/2 in 24 overs

16:37 hrs IST: THREE STRAIGHT FOURS! Tamim is on fire! He goes after Ashwin. First the left-hander cuts four a boundary, then hits through the covers and then flicks towards leg. BAN 123/2 in 22 overs

16:34 hrs IST: HUGE APPEAL! Rahim goes for a slog sweep and misses the line of the delivery as Dhoni removes the bails. Replays show he was inside the line. BAN 110/2 in 21 overs

16:32 hrs IST: Ashwin gives away just one run! BAN 105/2 in 20 overs

16:31 hrs IST: FOUR! Tamim gets to his 38th half-century with a reverse sweep off Jadeja. BAN 104/2 in 19 overs

16:26 hrs IST: Raviundra Jadeja into the attack now.

16:24 hrs IST: Ashwin continues from the other end. This partnership is like a thorn for India. The earlier they get one of them out, the better for Kohli’s men. BAN 96/2 in 18 overs

16:20 hrs IST: It’s the drinks break. Both teams have something to take from the first hour of play. Bangladesh have shown the confidence and playing to a plan.

16:18 hrs IST: SIX! Tamim Iqbal takes Pandya over square leg. He has moved to his 40s. BAN 90/2 in 17 overs

16:16 hrs IST: FOUR! Tamim directs Ashwin delivery towards third man!. This is intelligent batting by Bangladesh’s most senior batsman. BAN 83/2 in 16 overs

16:12 hrs IST: Ashwin starts his second over on a poor note as he bowls a wide. He covers quickly and goves away just three more runs. BAN 66/2 in 14 overs

16:08 hrs IST: Meanwhile, India’s squad for West Indies limited overs series has been announced. Kuldeep Yadav and Rishabh Pant included in the squad while Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah have been rested.

16:04 hrs IST: Hardik Pandya gets an inside edge off Tamim, as the ball hits the stumps. No danger, however, as it’s called a no ball. Tough luck! BAN 62/2 in 13 overs

16:02 hrs IST: Hardik Pandya comes from the other end. His no ball gives Bangladesh a free-hit. Only two runs from it .  

16:00 hrs IST: First bowling change for India! R Ashwin comes in to bowl the 12th over and gives away two runs. BAN 49/2 in 12 overs.

15:58 hrs IST: Bhuvneshwar continues from the other end and gives away just one run. BAN 47/2 in 11 overs

15:57 hrs IST: Bumrah bowls another tight over. He is keeping up the pressure from one end. BAN 46/2 in 10 overs

15:48 hrs IST: RAHIM ON FIRE! The ex-skipper continues his attack as he gets straight fours. First he produces an elegant cover drive and then cuts through point. BAN 45/2 in 9 overs

15:47 hrs IST: THAT WILL HURT! Rahim goes for a wild heave against Bhuvneshwar, the ball gets an inside edge but misses the stumps and goes past Dhoni for a boundary.

15:41 hrs IST: Mushfiqur Rahim is the new batsman. This partnership will be crucial for Bangladesh. The duo is their most in-form batsmen. Bumrah gives away just one run in the eighth over. BAN 32/2 in 8 overs

15:39 hrs IST: WICKET!Sabbir (19) gone! BAN 31/2 in 6.5 overs

Bhuvneshwar strikes again! Sabbir goes for a cut against a wide delivery and is caught by Ravindra Jadeja at backward point.

15:35 hrs IST: A Maiden over after a long time. Bumrah’s over will give Kohli’s India breathing space after the mayhem by Sabbir. BAN 31/1 in 6 overs

15:33 hrs IST: Bangladesh have so far got boundaries in every over except the first one. Indian pacers need to find a quick answer to their onslaught.

15:31 hrs IST: FOUR! Bhuvneshwar gets a leading edge off Tamim. But the ball flies away from the fielder at second slip. Bangladesh fans are rejoicing. BAN 31/1 in 5 overs

15:27 hrs IST: FOUR AGAIN! Sabbir is ripping apart the Indian pacers. He is taking full advantage of the powerplay overs as there are no fielders in the outfield. This time he hits over long off against Bumrah. BAN 26/1 in 4 overs

15:22 hrs IST: MORE FOURS! Rahman is essaying his pinch-hitting role pretty well. First he lofts Bhuvneshwar over mid-off and then gets another boundary with a beautiful cover drive. BAN 21/1 in 3 overs

15:16 hrs IST: FOURS! Bangladesh makes a strong comeback Tamim and No.3 Sabbir Rahman goes after Jasprit Bumrah. First Tamim directs the ball towards square leg and then Rahman gets off the blocks with an elegant square drive and then BAN 11/1 in 2 overs

15:14 hrs IST: WICKET! Soumya Sarkar gone. BAN 1/1 in 1 over

Bhuvneshwar Kumar rattles Soumya stumps.

15:12 hrs IST: Bangladesh get off the mark as Tamim Iqbal takes a single off Bhuvneshwar. The Indian pacer is bowling a tight line!

15:11 hrs IST: Action starts!

15:03 Time for the national anthems. India and Banglesh, both anthems composed by Rabindranath Tagore. Huge moment for Bangladesh and their legions of fans.

Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Sabbir Rahman, Mushfiqur Rahim(w), Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah, Mosaddek Hossain, Mashrafe Mortaza(c), Taskin Ahmed, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman

India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli(c), Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni(w), Hardik Pandya, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan, Highlights, ICC Champions Trophy News

Pakistan got off to a great start in the run chase as Fakhar Zaman (50) came out all guns blazing and he along with Azhar Ali (34) added 74 runs for the first wicket. But the former World Champions lost wickets at regular intervals in the middle overs that got Sri Lanka right back in the match. Just when the match was swinging towards Sri Lanka, Sarfraz Ahmed (61*) played a captain's knock to help Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 3 wickets. Sri Lanka's fielding disintegrated in the last 45 minutes as they dropped a couple of chances and Pakistan rode on their luck to get home after being reduced to 162 for 7 at one stage. For Sri Lanka Nuwan Pradeep was the pick of the bowlers, returning with figures of 3 for 60 in his 10 overs. Earlier, Pakistan bundled out Sri Lanka for 236 with Junaid Khan and Hasan Ali picking up three wickets apiece.


Pakistan have little more than 36 hours before taking the field again in Cardiff for their Champions Trophy semi-final against England, but will find time to address concerns about their middle order despite the joy of overcoming Sri Lanka to progress to the knockout stage.

Fakhar Zaman's explosive entrance to the one-day side, with innings of 31 off 23 balls against South Africa followed by his 35-ball 50 against Sri Lanka, has helped overcome the sluggish starts which have plagued their batting, but there were a series of loose dismissals in the chase which left them needing a rescue mission of dramatic proportions from captain Sarfraz Ahmed and Mohammad Amir in an unbroken stand of 75 in 15 overs.

"If you look at the game we started well but after Fakhar Zaman got out we lost the momentum and then most of our dismissals were soft which definitely is an area of concern for us," Sarfraz said. "We will sit tomorrow and talk about this and hopefully we will recover from this.

"After the way we started we could have finished this game with six or seven wickets in hand but those dismissals really dented us. We should have won by a good margin but a win is a win. Yes, we need to sit and talk about it and realise that if we a settled that we should take the game to the end rather than leaving it for the upcoming batsmen."

On his own innings, an unbeaten 61 off 79 balls, he admitted things went his way especially with the first dropped catch by Thisara Perera but was delighted to see the chase through. "I played the shot in the air, I just said, ooh...as a captain, it's very important innings for me. After this innings, I'm really boosted."

Before the tournament, Sarfraz spoke about how the team's No. 8 ODI ranking meant there were no expectations on them - which looked justified after the woeful performance against India, who they have a chance of meeting again in the final - but now they have a semi-final berth he sounded a little more bullish.

"Indeed it was very important for us as a team. Obviously nobody was rating us and they were writing us off, but once again I give all the credit to the team management for boosting us after the India game, especially our bowlers. The way Junaid [Khan] and Amir bowled was a turning point. I hope we can carry the momentum ahead and take a lot of confidence."

Sarfraz also promised his side would play "positive" cricket against England, the side they conceded the world record ODI total of 444 for 3 against at Trent Bridge last year. That one-day series ended in a 4-1 drubbing but the lone Pakistan victory did come in Cardiff as they chased down 303 in which Sarfraz made 90.

"We chased down 300-plus runs and that is a good memory," he said. "We have to play positive cricket as England have been playing positive cricket in the last two years. Obviously we have to play hard and we will try to replicate our last year performance to win them again in Cardiff. If you're playing a world class team you play more positive cricket. So will definitely do that against England."

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India vs South Africa, Where to Watch Live Score Star Sports

Mumbai: Big guns and title favorites India and South Africa will face each other in a knockout clash of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017. Having suffered defeats in their previous matches, India and South Africa face a do-or-die battle in their quest for a semi-final spot when they meet in a Group B contest at The Oval on Sunday. India suffered an unexpected seven-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka in their last group match while Pakistan got the better of South Africa via the Duckworth-Lewis method. Virat Kohli and his men got a reality check against Sri Lanka and will now look to iron out their concerns in the bowling department. India's batting has done well in the tournament so far but it was their bowling which flopped against Sri Lanka. For South Africa, neither their batting not bowling looked to have clicked after a 19-run defeat against Pakistan. The Proteas will look to heavily improvise in both the departments to give their side any chance of a win against India.

Discord and defeat, or amity and victory? Which way will perceptions sway after the virtual quarterfinal against South Africa?
Indian cricket's English summer has been a tumultuous one so far, but Sunday's knockout game also provides Virat Kohli's men a chance to maintain their excellent record in do-or-die situations.
In the past four years, India have won three out of four knockout games, the lone blip coming against the Australians in Sydney in the 2015 World Cup semifinal. Two out of those three victories came in the last Champions Trophy, a tournament in which India have a spotless 3-0 record against South Africa.
So the Indians in recent times have inspired plenty of confidence in pressure situations, better than the South Africans anyway, whose reputation as perennial chokers seems to have dogged them for an eternity.
This time, though, that tiny psychological edge may not be cushion enough: South Africa are the world's No. 1 ODI side. Since the loss to Bangladesh in July 2015, they have won 7 out of 9 ODI series, including beating India in India. Conditions at the Oval are likely to suit them more. They have a settled lineup. On current form, the only opponent more formidable than South Africa would be England on home soil.

Having landed themselves in a mess following the disclosure of differences between Kohli and coach Anil Kumble, and also coming off a shock loss to Sri Lanka, India need to win this one to reaffirm a bit of faith. "You need to have a good balance of being competitive, being passionate, but at the same time not getting overexcited," said Kohli about India's approach to knockout games. Tactical superiority wouldn't hurt either, and to that end India seem to be turning to the card they missed in the Sri Lanka game: Ravichandran Ashwin.

Ashwin has only sporadically been part of India's ODI setup, having played only 9 and missed 18 games since the 2015 World Cup. His economy rate in this period has been marginally higher, 5.55, than his career average of 4.91. However, he also has 12 wickets from those 9 games, and India sorely missed a wicket-taker against the Lankans.

The offie came into the tournament proclaiming a new weapon he had worked on, but has only been allowed to watch from the sidelines so far. On match eve, he was made to bowl for nearly two hours, meaning India had taken cognizance of the three left-handers in the SA lineup - De Kock, David Miller, and JP Duminy.

Will Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who didn't have much of a bowl in the nets, set out to enable India to play two spinners in Ashwin and Jadeja and two pacers in Yadav and Bumrah? Kohli, true to tradition, was suitably cryptic, saying, "Yes, there are all kinds of possibilities. We definitely have looked at the last game and where we can make a bit of a change."

That "last game" saw India losing out in spite of posting 321 on the board, and South Africa have one of the most dangerous batting lineups around, even though they may have imploded against Imad Wasim and Co in the game against Pakistan. "The temptation is definitely there to change the XI. We have 15 world-class players in the side," said captain AB de Villiers, adding: "We also expect to see Ashwin on their side. He's taken many wickets against us."

AB too agreed it was important to "stay calm". "Don't get overexcited, the tendency will be there. We all live for these kinds of moments. I'm expecting intensity and hunger but with a relaxed kind of mindset."

If that sounds contradictory, Kohli wouldn't know. "The team that treats the game as normal as possible will win," he said.

The question is, is it possible to stay normal with everything on the line?

Squads of India and South Africa for ICC Champions Trophy 2017:

INDIA SQUAD: Virat Kohli(Captain), MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya, Umesh Yadav, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, Mohammed Shami

SOUTH AFRICA SQUAD: AB de Villiers (Captain), Jean-Paul Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, Chris Morris, David Miller, Imran Tahir, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Hashim Amla, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Andile Phehlukwayo, Morne Morkel.

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Dinesh Karthik replaces injured Pandey in Champions Trophy squad

India has included Dinesh Karthik in their Champions Trophy squad for the replacement for Manish Pandey, who has been ruled out with a left side strain. Pandey sustained the injury during a Kolkata Knight Riders practice session ahead of their IPL Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Wednesday.

Karthik has played 71 ODIs since his debut in 2004 - keeping wicket in 24 of them - scoring 1313 runs at 27.93. He was part of India's victorious 2013 Champions Trophy campaign and last played international cricket during the 2014 Asia Cup in Bangladesh.

In recalling Karthik, the selectors have rewarded his excellent domestic form across formats. He scored 704 runs in the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy at 54.15, with one hundred and five fifties, and was a vital cog in Tamil Nadu's run to a 50-overs title double, scoring a combined 854 runs at 85.40 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Deodhar Trophy. In the IPL, Karthik was Gujarat Lions' second-highest run-getter with 361 at a strike rate of 139.38.


India squad for Champions Trophy 2017

Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni (wk), Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Karthik(wk), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah.

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Indian Squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2017

15-man India squad, for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, announced on Monday (May 8) - a day after the BCCI gave the all-clear to participate in the tournament.

Mohammed Shami, who hadn't played a One-Day International since the World Cup 2015 semifinal, was recalled to the 15-man Indian squad, for the Champions Trophy.

It was also the first time that standbys were named.

Rohit Sharma, the opening batsman, too, returns to the set-up after having been ruled out for four months in November last year due to a thigh injury. He has played all of Mumbai's games so far this season in the IPL after returning to competitive cricket in March.

While KL Rahul hasn't sufficiently recovered from his shoulder injury, Ravichandran Ashwin, the ace offspinner, who missed the ongoing IPL with a sports hernia injury, was named, along with Ravindra Jadeja, with the duo to share spin responsibilities.

Ashwin, who played a crucial role in helping India hoist the Champions Trophy in 2013, picking up eight scalps at an average of 22.62, was rested for the duration of the IPL - something that was confirmed by MSK Prasad. "Ashwin's selection was not a difficult decision. He's had rest, isn't out of form. We've been preparing him for the Champions Trophy" said MSK Prasad, the chairman of selectors after the announcement.

One of the major talking points prior to the announcement was whether Ajinkya Rahane would retain his place in the set-up. The elegant batsman has been in average form in the ongoing IPL, evidenced by the fact that he has compiled just 248 runs at an average of 20.66. However, the Prasad-led selection panel showed their faith in the veteran batsman by naming him for England as the backup opener (Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan being the primary ones), along with Yuvraj Singh, whose one-day career was revived after being picked for the series against England in January.

Manish Pandey was also named in the 15-member squad. The enterprising batsman hasn't played for the national side in the 50-over format since the series against New Zealand in October last year despite being selected for the subsequent ODI series against England.

MS Dhoni was the lone wicketkeeper named in the squad. When asked about the decision and concerns with his form, Prasad didn't stop short of lavishing praise on the former Indian skipper saying that the experienced campaigner has been a fine performer for India under pressure situations in the abridged versions of the game, also commending his glovework.

"We all believe that MSD is still the best wicketkeeper in the world," said Prasad. "Focussing on his batting form, he is an invaluable asset to the team when it comes to crunch situations. His inputs... and he has got one of the best brains. He is the best person to guide Virat. Not many people realise that in the last 10-12 years that MS has played, he has never had a bad day as far his gloves are concerned. We always treat him as a batsman but the phenomenal stuff that he does behind the wickets, not many people appreciate."

Rishabh Pant, the dashing wicketkeeper-batsman, was also considered for selection but missed out. The 19-year-old had plundered 972 runs at an average of 81 to go with an astonishing strike rate of 107 in the 2016-17 Ranji season.

"We are completely impressed with Rishabh Pant. But he missed out because of squad combination. We will groom him for the future," noted Prasad. The former wicketkeeper-batsman also pointed out that the selectors had pondered over whether to select Kuldeep Yadav, the slow left-arm unorthodox bowler, who he said "missed out narrowly".

The chinaman bowler took a four-wicket haul on his Test debut against Australia in Dharamsala. He has also picked up nine wickets at an average of 31.22 in the IPL 2017.

In addition, apart from Pant and Kuldeep, the others who were considered and will be kept as stand-by options are Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina and Shardul Thakur, for who visas are being sorted out. They will, in the meantime, train at the NCA in Bangalore.

Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shami will form a formidable pace attack. The team, as Prasad stressed, had been picked on the basis of "performances in the last year or so and not just the IPL".

The Indian selectors went in with a tried and tested side, banking on the right mix of experience and youth, playing it safe with no surprise inclusions. Virat Kohli will lead the side that will kickstart their title defence against Pakistan on June 4 in Edgbaston.


Squad: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit, Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Shami.