The 2023 World Cup is just round the corner and the India squad is yet to be selected. While quite a bit of cutting and chopping is required, former head coach Ravi Shastri has argued that he expects to see atleast two left handed batters in the top 6 order of the Indian cricket team. He went on to emphasis that having too many right handers creates an imbalance in the squad.
“You need to strike the right balance. Do you think a left-hander will make a difference at the top? It does not have to be opening, but in the top three or four. You have to weigh all those options. Ideally, in the top six, I would like to see two left-handers,” Shastri told The Week.
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The southpaw options are fairly limited in the Indian team. Rishabh Pant’s absence in the team following his horrific accident last year has created a void in the team that is quite difficult to replace. Among other options, star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja barely gets a chance up the order and is not a regular in the top 6.
While Ishan Kishan has flourished in the team where he managed to slam a fine double ton against Bangladesh but has been an irregular outfit in the squad. On the other hand, youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal found his place in the WTC Finals owing to a stellar IPL campaign, but the 21-year old is too inexperienced to be thrown into the fiery crucible of the World Cup.
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While the BCCI continues to be positive on Pant’s return after the wicketkeeper batter progressed really well on his recovery, but the other left handed options are fairly limited.
“You have Ishan Kishan. In the wicketkeeping department, you have Sanju [Samson]. But the left-handers, you have [Yashasvi] Jaiswal, Tilak Varma. There is enough left-handed talent that can replace any senior player at the moment,” added Shastri. Shastri has also emphasized that the India team needs to create a pool of youngsters to perform well in the mega tournament.
“There are so many youngsters. There is Jaiswal and, I might miss out a few here, Tilak Varma, Nehal Wadhera. There is [Sai] Sudharsan, who played so well in the [IPL] final. There is Jitesh Sharma,” he said.
Shastri has also banked on Sanju Samson and has claimed that the wicketkeeper batter as a young Rohit Sharma who can go on to become a match winner for India. “There is Sanju [Samson], who I believe is yet to realise his potential. He is a match-winner. There is something that is missing. I will be disappointed if he does not finish his career all guns blazing. It is like when I was the coach, I would have been disappointed if Rohit Sharma had not played in my side as a regular Test player. Hence, his opening the batting. I feel similar with Sanju.”
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