India's chief selector MSK Prasad has said that wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant, all-rounder Vijay Shankar and batsman Ajinkya Rahane are all still in contention for slots at the 2019 World Cup in England.
"Undoubtedly he (Pant) is in contention," Prasad said in an interview with Cricinfo. "The progression of Rishabh in the last one year is phenomenal across the formats. What we actually felt is he needs a bit of maturity now, gain more Experience. That is reason we have included him in India A series wherever possible."
With Dinesh Karthik looking destined to be in the squad as a lower-order batsman and back up keeper, Pant is being targeted by the selectors as a spare opener, with KL Rahul struggling for form of late. Rahul's poor form is also the reason the Selecters are still considering Ajinkya Rahane, who hasn't played white ball cricket for India since January of 2018.
"He (Rahane) has been in form in domestic cricket, and is very much in contention for the World Cup" said Prasad.
The Indian chairman of selectors also explained how the 15 man squad has virtually been sealed but for the "one odd position." Another name that has been hinted for that open slot has been that of Tamil Nadu all-rounder Vijay Shankar.
Shankar deputised well for Virat Kohli in the number three slot in the recently concluded T20 series against New Zealand, impressing many with some astute batting performances. Playing as a pure batsman, the 28-year-old scored a cumulative of 84 runs in the series Which was the second best in terms of runs scored by visitors behind captain Rohit Sharma.
