Ravi Shastri points out missing link in India’s ODI World Cup plan

ODI World Cup 2023 will kick off in India in just a little more than three months. India are in their final stage of preparation for the mega event. Before the blockbuster event, Rohit Sharma-led Men in Blue will play in the West Indies series that begins next month and the Asia Cup in September.

Ahead of Team India’s West Indies tour, former head coach Ravi Shastri has pointed out a missing link in the batting order as he drew a comparison between the current squad with the 2011 World Cup squad.

As per the former India all-rounder, there is a dearth of left-handed batters in the Indian squad. He said that India need at least two left-hand batters in the top six before he pointed out that in the 2011 squad, the team had three - Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina.

“That is going to be a challenge. You will have to see closer to the event. Form again becomes important. 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,” said Shastri.

“You have Jasaswi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma. There is enough left-handed talent that can replace any senior player at the moment,” he added.