Former Indian cricketer Abhinav Mukund has outlined his projected squad for the 2027 ODI World Cup, which is set to be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. In his selection, Mukund prioritized several key players currently favored by the national team, including captain Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, and Jasprit Bumrah. He also included a newcomer to the international scene, pacer Gurnoor Brar.
The selection process saw several notable omissions, particularly among veterans and T20I specialists. Mukund left out Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Harsh Dubey, Prince Yadav, and Varun Chakaravarthy. Furthermore, he excluded veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and pacer Mohammed Shami. Jadeja has been absent from recent ODI squads, having last played in the format against New Zealand at home earlier this year, while missing the subsequent Afghanistan series and the England tour. Shami has also been sidelined, with his last ODI appearance dating back to the 2025 Champions Trophy final against New Zealand.
Beyond his primary selections, Mukund identified a list of players in a 'maybe' category, acknowledging that their inclusion remains uncertain. This group includes batters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad, with Jaiswal previously tipped as a potential successor to Rohit Sharma. The list also features all-rounders Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shivam Dube, alongside one unnamed pacer. Nitish Kumar Reddy, viewed as a backup to Hardik Pandya, missed the recent England tour due to injury. Shivam Dube participated in that series, though he is not currently a regular fixture in the one-day setup, having only played six ODIs to date.
