Melbourne: India ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said pacers Mohit Sharma and Dhawal Kulkarni still have a chance of being included in the World Cup squad. (Kohli vs Smith vs Root | Full Coverage)

Besides the 15 players picked for the World Cup, India have included Mohit Sharma and Kulkarni in the tri-series squad to give the main bowlers some time to recover from the Test series.

However, Dhoni hasn’t ruled out Mohit and Dhawal’s late inclusion in the World Cup squad if required. (Starc Expects Intense Tri-Series ODI vs India)

“That’s the major thinking behind them being here,” Dhoni said. (Ishant, Jadeja Unavailable for India at MCG: Dhoni)

“At the same time we will first select players from the 15-man World Cup squad. If we feel a player needs more time then we will look to add Mohit or Dhawal in the squad.” (‘Dhoni Makes India Hot World Cup Prospect’)

Discussing the squad further, Dhoni said the inclusion of Stuart Binny was a crucial one as at some of the pace friendly venues the team will need a seam bowling all-rounder.

“We are playing a few games in Perth and New Zealand, where we felt the last time that there wasn’t much purchase for the spinners,” Dhoni explained.