With the meteoric rise of youngsters like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma, former Indian player Mohammad Kaif has said that Team India will pick their most experienced and senior players for the World Cup 2023 in October. Amid injuries to Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer, players like Sanju Samson, Mukesh Kumar, and Suryakumar Yadav have stood up and given their best to the side.
However, Kaif believes that we’ll not see these players in the line-up for the World Cup, and India will go back to their bankable and more experienced campaigners when they return to the side.
“Shreyas Iyer is injured, KL Rahul is recovering. I hope they will all return to the side (in time for the World Cup). So all this talk about new players coming into the side, they will not get a chance in the team. Your (Team India’s) XI is all set,” said Kaif.
“Iyer, when he returns, will play at No. 4. You have Shubman Gill and skipper Rohit Sharma (as openers), at No. 3 you have Virat Kohli, at No. 4 you have (Shreyas) Iyer, at No. 5 you have KL Rahul.
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“Hardik Pandya at 6, (Ravindra) Jadeja at No.7, Axar Patel or Shardul Thakur will play at No.8 depending on the condition (of the pitch). At No.9, you will have Kuldeep Yadav… he has a good ODI record, and and at No. 10 and 11 you will have the two fast bowlers Mohammed Shami and Bumrah.
“Even Siraj might not find a place in the XI. So, when it will be difficult to accommodate Siraj, then the new players we are talking about, they might not get the opportunity in this World Cup,” Kaif further added.
Kaif added that his logic was based on the fact that seniors will get the first opportunity to be in the squad for the World Cup 2023 and players like Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav will get a look-in ahead of some new faces.
“If at all there will be someone in the squad, it would be Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav because they have been playing for many years.
“The new faces people are talking about are only for this (West Indies) tour. When the Asia Cup and the World Cup are played, then only the senior-most players will play.”
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