Shruti Suman
The Indian cricket team received a significant boost on their journey to the Cricket World Cup 2023 when the Rohit Sharma-led squad convincingly defeated Sri Lanka to secure the Asia Cup 2023 title. Mohammed Siraj’s spectacular fast bowling performance capped off an impressive campaign for India, marked by several outstanding performances. However, former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir believes that one aspect of India’s team composition demands attention in preparation for the World Cup.
Ravindra Jadeja has become a crucial component of the Indian cricket team, excelling in his bowling. Nevertheless, Gambhir stressed the need for Jadeja to make a greater contribution with the bat.
“We are aware that Jadeja can deliver ten overs on any given day, on any type of pitch. He’s an exceptional fielder, but we require him to make a more significant impact as a batter at the No. 7 position because relying on just six batters might not be sufficient.”
“If Ishan Kishan is batting at No. 5, there are also concerns. Therefore, Ravindra Jadeja must step up his batting game because there could be situations where we need 80 or 90 runs in 10 overs, and both the No. 6 and No. 7 batters might be at the crease,” Gambhir commented during a discussion on Star Sports.
Meanwhile, India has announced its squad for the upcoming ODI series against Australia:
For the first two ODIs vs. Australia:
KL Rahul (Captain and wicketkeeper)
Ravindra Jadeja (Vice-captain)
Ruturaj Gaikwad
Shubman Gill
Shreyas Iyer
Suryakumar Yadav
Tilak Varma
Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper)
Shardul Thakur
Washington Sundar
R Ashwin
Jasprit Bumrah
Mohammed Shami
Mohammed Siraj
Prasidh Krishna
It is for the third and final ODI vs. Australia:
Rohit Sharma (Captain)
Hardik Pandya (Vice-captain)
Shubman Gill
Virat Kohli
Shreyas Iyer
Suryakumar Yadav
KL Rahul (wicketkeeper)
Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper)
Ravindra Jadeja
Shardul Thakur
Axar Patel (subject to fitness)
Washington Sundar
Kuldeep Yadav
R Ashwin
Jasprit Bumrah
Mohammed Shami
Mohammed Siraj
Khushi Sikarwar
