Shardul Thakur replaces Axar Patel in India's main squad for T20 World Cup
New Delhi, Oct 13: Fast bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur on Wednesday replaced Axar Patel in India's squad for the T20 World Cup to be held in the UAE and Oman from October 17.
The 29-year-old Thakur has impressed with his 18 wickets in the ongoing IPL for Chennai Super Kings. With this, India completed the announcement of its final squad for the marquee tournament. Teams are allowed time till October 15 to finalise changes.
"The All-India Senior Selection Committee after a discussion with the team management has added Shardul Thakur to the main squad. All-rounder Axar Patel, who was part of the 15-member squad will now be on the list of stand-by players," BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a statement.
With pace all-rounder Hardik Pandya not bowling during the IPL because of fitness issues, the selectors wanted a cover for him. The Mumbai Indians star's workload management is a major concern for the team management.
"The selectors felt that they were one pacer short and also with Hardik Pandya not bowling, they needed an all-rounder in the main squad," a source close to the selection committee told PTI.
"Axar remains in stand by and if Ravindra Jadeja gets injured, he will again be back in main team. Till Jaddu (Jadeja) plays, Axar won't be required."
As reported by PTI, the selectors also included Harshal Patel among the net bowlers for the Indian team.
"The following cricketers will join the team bubble in Dubai and assist Team India in their preparations: Avesh Khan, Umran Malik, Harshal Patel, Lukman Meriwala, Venkatesh Iyer, Karn Sharma, Shahbaz Ahmed and K. Gowtham," the statement said.
Among the stand-by players, Railways leg-spinner Karn Sharma, who is part of the CSK right now, was a surprise inclusion.
Considered a close confidante of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has been roped in as mentor of the national side for the World Cup, Sharma is retained year after year by CSK without playing too many matches as it is believed that he has been the franchise's "Lucky Mascot"
Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal could not find a place despite an impressive IPL with Royal Challengers Bangalore. He claimed 18 wickets in 15 matches.
India will open their campaign on October 24 against Pakistan.
India's squad for ICC T20 World Cup: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami.
Stand-by players: Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Axar Patel.
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India & Israel elevate ties to special strategic partnership, vow to soon conclude free trade deal
Jerusalem (PTI): India and Israel on Thursday elevated their "time-tested" relationship to a special strategic partnership and agreed to soon firm up a "mutually beneficial" free trade deal even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly backed the Gaza peace initiative, asserting that humanity must never become a victim of conflict.
Following talks between Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, the two sides inked a plethora of agreements to expand cooperation in areas of trade, agriculture, energy, cyberspace and digital payment.
India and Israel also vowed to expand their already close defence partnership by working towards joint development and joint production of military hardware under the framework of the transfer of technologies.
In his media statement, Modi said India's security interest is linked to peace and stability in the Middle East, adding that New Delhi fully supports the Gaza Peace Initiative.
"India's stance is clear: humanity must never become a victim of conflict. A path to peace has been created through the Gaza Peace Plan. India has fully supported these efforts," he said.
"In the future as well, we will continue dialogue and cooperation with all countries," he said.
PM Modi landed in Israel on Wednesday on a two-day visit. It is his second visit to Israel in nine years.
In his remarks, the prime minister said India and Israel have a united view that there is no place for terrorism in the world and both sides stand shoulder-to-shoulder in countering terrorism and its supporters.
"Our relationship is founded on the strong bedrock of deep trust, shared democratic values, and human sensitivities. Our bond has stood the test of every trial of time," he said.
"Today, we have taken the historic decision to elevate our time-tested partnership to the status of a 'Special Strategic Partnership'," he said.
The prime minister also announced the establishment of an India-Israel critical and emerging technologies partnership to impart a new momentum for cooperation in areas of artificial intelligence, quantum, and critical minerals. "I am pleased that an agreement has been reached for the use of UPI in Israel," he said.
The prime minister, referring to the threat of terrorism, said India and Israel will continue to confront the menace unitedly.
"India and Israel are completely clear that there is no place for terrorism in the world. In any form, in any expression, terrorism cannot be accepted," he said.
"We have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in opposing terrorism and its supporters, and we will continue to do so," he added.
India and Israel also discussed the implementation of the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and cooperation under the framework of I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA).
