Rayudu and Pant named standbys for World Cup-bound Team India

There is still some hope for Rishabh Pant and Ambati Rayudu (right), who were named as standbys for the World Cup.

Young wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant and veteran batsman Ambati Rayudu were named among the standbys for India's World Cup squad on Wednesday; reigniting their dashed hopes of making the trip to the UK in case an injury setback hits the side.
Speedster Navdeep Saini also found a place in the list of three back-ups for the mega-event starting on May 30.
Pant and Rayudu's exclusion from the squad of 15 had created quite a stir on Monday. While Sunil Gavaskar called Pant's omission surprising, the snub to Rayudu was questioned by Gautam Gambhir.
With the ICC doing away with the practice of letting countries announce a probables' list before the final squad, the BCCI also has the option of including anyone apart from these three but it is unlikely to happen.
"Just like ICC Champions Trophy, we have three standbys. Pant and Rayudu are the first and second standbys while Saini is the bowler in the list. So if anyone gets injured, as per requirement, one of the three will be going," said a senior BCCI official.
Rayudu took to Twitter to take a dig at his omission from the squad of 15 on Tuesday.
"Just Ordered a new set of 3d glasses to watch the world cup," Rayudu wrote on his twitter handle.
This was after chairman of selectors MSK Prasad justified Vijay Shankar's selection over Rayudu, citing the former's "three-dimensional qualities".
While Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan and Deepak Chahar will be travelling with the team purely as net bowlers, they can also be drafted in if the management feels so.
"Khaleel, Avesh and Deepak are not designated standbys. In case of bowlers, that possibility is there but when it comes purely to batsmen, it will be either Rishabh or Rayudu," the official said.
In other developments, there will be no Yo-Yo Test for the World Cup-bound players as the IPL is going to end only on May 12, just a few days before India head to the UK. India is scheduled to play its opening World Cup match on June 5 against South Africa in Southampton.
"The players are already in the middle of a gruelling T20 season. Once the IPL ends, they will need recovery time.
"It's not like that there is a gap between the two series and you are having a test. If you are tired, the results may vary," the official explained. -PTI