Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer feels that the Indian team management cannot afford to play with only seven proper batters in the team going into the important 2024 T20 World Cup, as the Indian batting tail starts at the No.8 position which is also a reason behind the India’s loss in T20 series against West Indies.
The Men in Blue were over-reliant on the top-order batters to score runs in the T20 series against the West Indies, as they lost a few close games due to long-tail in the Indian playing 11. Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, and Mukesh Kumar formed a lower-middle batting in the Indian team.
Speaking on Espncricinfo, Wasim Jaffer analyzed India’s team loss against West Indies, as he feels that losing the Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill is a big setback for the Indian team as the batting exists only until the No.7 and feels that adds extra pressure on the middle-order batters and said that it is the reason behind the team’s loss in the final T20 game.
“Losing Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill within that powerplay, that was a big setback. We all know that India only bats till No. 7. The last four don’t contribute much at all. They don’t have that boundary-hitting or six-hitting ability. When you lose two to three wickets, the guys coming in can’t play freely. It adds a lot of pressure.”
“If we are five down, the tail starts coming. That’s exactly what has happened in the games that we have lost. That is a big concern for India. The batting hasn’t clicked. Suryakumar Yadav played well, but nobody else chipped in,” Wasim Jaffer said.
Indian openers Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal failed to give the team a good start after a record partnership in the 4th T20 game, with Suryakumar Yadav taking up the responsibility to help the Indian side a decent total of 165-9 at the end of the 20 overs as the Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, and Axar Patel failing to chip in with bat on the series decider in Florida.
We Need To Look At The Guys Who Can Bat And Bowl – Wasim Jaffer
Wasim Jaffer feels that India needs to look more at the all-rounder who can contribute to the team’s success with both bat and ball citing the example of Shivam Dube, Venkatesh Iyer, and Washington Sundar, who can come into the Indian side alongside Tamil Nadu all-rounder Shahrukh Khan.
“We need to look at the guys who can bat and bowl. Shivam Dube, Venkatesh Iyer, Washington Sundar, we need to groom them for the coming World Cup. I would put in Shahrukh Khan’s name as well. He bowls off-spin and can be that finisher also,” Wasim Jaffer added.
Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube will be part of the India squad for the Ireland Series and Asian Games and they will look to utilize the opportunity to perform for the team in the shorter format of the game.