Former Indian head coach and one of the experts of the game, Ravi Shastri has given his suggestion regarding the batting lineup of Team India for the upcoming World Cup 2023 set to be played in India.
Ravi Shastri has suggested that it would be better to have two left-handed batsmen among the top six in the batting lineup for the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023. Shastri’s statement came after the announcement of team India for the ODI series against West Indies. The squad is filled with several right-handed batters which has sparked Shastri to give this advice.
Currently, Ishan Kishan is the only left-handed batsman in the top six of the ODI squad. Ravi Shastri wants a balanced batting lineup for Team India in the upcoming World Cup. For this, he wished to have at least two left-handed batters among the top six of the batting order.
“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’.
Rishabh Pant was a fixed left-handed batter in team India but now he is out of action due to the severe injury he got in a car accident. Shastri claimed that apart from Ravi Shastri, India has other options in the name of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, and Sai Sudarshan. All these batters have performed brilliantly in the latest edition of the Indian Premier League.
“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. There are so many youngsters. I might miss out on a few here, Tilak Varma, and Nehal Wadhera. There is [Sai] Sudharsan, who played so well in the [IPL] final. There is Jitesh Sharma,” he said.