While Team India gears up for their T20 World Cup opener against Ireland, questions linger around their batting line-up, particularly the absence of young batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Despite calls for a left-right opening combination, Jaiswal was overlooked for Sanju Samson in the warm-up match against Bangladesh, suggesting he might not feature in the main event. This decision has sparked debate among former cricketers who believe India’s lack of bowling options could be a major Achilles’ heel.
Irfan Pathan pushes for Yashasvi Jaiswal inclusion
Former Indian pacer Irfan Pathan has consistently voiced his disapproval of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli opening together, despite Kohli’s successful IPL 2024 season. Speaking on Star Sports, Pathan highlighted a crucial point: India’s limited bowling options.
He urged head coach Rahul Dravid to consider Jaiswal, who bowls regularly in the nets, as a potential solution. Pathan also mentioned Shivam Dube as another option to bolster the bowling attack.
Team India is bowling handicap?
Irfan Pathan elaborated on India’s bowling conundrum: “Our other batsmen, like Rohit, Virat, or Suryakumar Yadav, can’t bowl, which makes us somewhat handicapped… Ideally, if any of these players could bowl, it would greatly benefit the team. We talk about Australia, but even England has many all-rounders among their top seven players… It’s always better to have more bowling options, and yes, in this scenario, we are definitely handicapped.”
Sanjay Manjrekar echoes concerns
Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar concurred with Pathan, pinpointing the lack of all-rounders as India’s sole weakness. He pointed to teams like Australia, where players like Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, and Cameron Green can contribute with both bat and ball.
Manjrekar acknowledged Shivam Dube’s inclusion as a step towards addressing this issue, but emphasized the need for further adjustments: “Yes, it’s a small weakness, and now with the impact substitute rule in the IPL, this problem might increase. We currently rely on specialist bowlers and batters, but in this World Cup, the team will need to make some adjustments, and someone will have to bowl at least two to three overs in a match.”
More on T20 WC:
Can India overcome their Bowling handicap?
The upcoming T20 World Cup will be a test of India’s batting prowess and bowling depth. While their batting line-up boasts big names like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the lack of bowling options from these top batsmen raises concerns.
Whether India can overcome this “handicap” and claim their second T20 World Cup title remains to be seen. The management’s decision on including players like Jaiswal could be a significant factor in determining their success.
