3 ignored all-rounders whom India should groom for 2023 World Cup
India will host the much-anticipated 2023 World Cup. The tournament will likely take place in October and November next year. Ahead of the mega event, the team has approximately 10 months to solve its issues in ODI cricket.
The Men in Blue have performed well in ODIs over the last two years as they are at the top of the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League points table. However, at times, they have struggled in the bowling department.
The current Indian squad has plenty of depth in the batting department, but the same cannot be said about the bowling unit. India often take the field with five bowling options.
Even in the recently concluded ODI match against New Zealand in Auckland, India failed to defend a fairly sizeable target of 307 runs.
🏽 Made 300 look like 270. Williamson all class as always but Latham stole the show. Not easy for an opener to move down the order and still be successful. India missed a trick by just playing 5 bowlers. #NZvIND
They are a dated ODI team .. you need at least 6 if not 7 bowling options .. twitter.com/wasimjaffer14/…
Some cricket experts have opined that the Indian team should have more bowling options once their stars return from injury. Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja will be back in the Indian ODI squad soon.
However, the team desperately needs backup all-rounders who can bat in the top six and bowl a few overs. This becomes especially necessary when one of the specialist bowlers has an off day.
In this listicle, we will look at the three ignored all-rounders who should be back in the mix for the 2023 World Cup.
#1 Venkatesh Iyer
Venkatesh Iyer started his ODI career against South Africa earlier this year in January. He played two ODIs in the three-match series, where he scored 24 runs and bowled five wicketless overs. Surprisingly, Iyer has not played an ODI for India since that series.
He has an excellent record in List-A cricket. The all-rounder has played 32 List-A matches, aggregating 1,252 runs in 30 innings. His batting average in the 50-over format is 48.15, while his strike rate is 105.83. In the bowling unit, he has picked up 19 wickets at a strike rate of 35.2.
If groomed well, Iyer could be one of the biggest match-winners for India in the 2023 World Cup.
#2 Krunal Pandya
I think Krunal Pandya too deserves a selection call from Indian Selectors.
Axar Patel seemed to struggle in the recently concluded T20 World Cup.
Krunal also performs whenever he is played SMAT for Baroda.
#INDvsNZ | #INDvNZ https://t.co/hUe4KuevBr
It is quite surprising that Krunal Pandya, who smashed the fastest fifty by a debutant in his maiden ODI, has not played any ODIs since July 2021. The spin-bowling all-rounder could be a fantastic backup option for Ravindra Jadeja.
Krunal has played five ODIs in his career, scoring 130 runs at a strike rate of 101.36, while also taking a couple of wickets. Considering that he has scored 2,375 runs and scalped 100 wickets in 83 List-A games, he deserves a recall to the Indian ODI squad.
#3 Rishi Dhawan
Rishi Dhawan made his ODI debut back in 2016 against Australia. He played three ODIs on that tour, scoring 12 runs in two innings and picking up one wicket. Dhawan never got another opportunity to play for India again in the 50-over format.
Fans who follow domestic cricket closely would know that Dhawan was in the form of his life in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021-22. He amassed 458 runs and picked up 17 wickets in eight matches. The all-rounder seems deserving of another chance on the international stage given his fantastic recent returns.
The new selection committee should give these three players at least four to five ODI games next year to showcase their talent ahead of the 2023 World Cup.