One change India should make to their World Cup 2023 squad
Men in Blue will begin their quest to bring the ODI World Cup on 8th October as they face Australia in Chennai. The Indian selectors have already announced the 15-men squad for the mega event but they could make the changes in it till 28th September without any permission from the ICC.
KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer are back in the side, while Suryakumar Yadav also booked the World Cup berth. Meanwhile, in the bowling department, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj are the three pacers. Also, Shardul Thakur got a chance courtesy of his batting skills lower down the order.
If we take a look at the bowling department, surprisingly, Yuzvendra Chahal misses out and Kuldeep Yadav is the only wrist spinner in the squad. The Indian selectors have gone with Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel as the two other spinners in the squad.
At first look, the selectors have covered all bases in the squad as there are two wicketkeepers and Ishan Kishan could be a backup opener and he could play in the middle order as well. Furthermore, they also have Suryakumar Yadav in the squad as a middle-order batter.
Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja are the quality all-rounders and three pacers would be more than enough for the home World Cup. However, the only piece missing in India’s squad is an off-spinner.
One change India should make in their ODI World Cup 2023 squad
Captain Rohit Sharma and the Indian team management have made it clear they need someone who could bat at the 8th number. Hence, they have preferred Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur. Both players are likely to be juggled in the playing XI based on the playing conditions. While Shardul will play in the pace-friendly conditions, Axar will play in the spin-friendly conditions.
However, India already have Ravindra Jadeja as the left-arm spinner and they needed someone to counter left-handers in the middle overs. Kuldeep Yadav is a left-arm chinaman and he is very effective against left-arm batters as well. However, someone like Ravichandran Ashwin will be an attacking option against left-arm batters.
Furthermore, Ravichandran Ashwin brings a ton of experience to India in such a high-pressure event. And, for India’s requirement of needing someone to bat at the number 8, the legendary off-spinner has all the credentials. Ashwin is no mug with the bat and he is a handy batter lower down the order.
Inclusion of Ravichandran Ashwin in place of Axar Patel will leave no visible shortcomings in the Indian squad for the ODI World Cup 2023.
