"India could have sent Shardul Thakur to bat when Rohit Sharma got out" - Ashish Nehra after IND vs PAK 2023 World Cup
Former Indian cricketer Ashish Nehra feels that pacer Shardul Thakur could have received some game time with the bat had the Men in Blue sent him at the fall of Rohit Sharma's wicket against Pakistan.
While the likes of Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja also didn't get to bat, Nehra touched upon the debate about Thakur being in the playing XI because of his batting. He said that the pacer would have gotten some confidence about his batting had he had scored some runs on Saturday, October 14.
Speaking to Cricbuzz alongside former teammate Virender Sehwag after India's win over Pakistan, Nehra opined:
"I would go to the extent of saying that India could have sent Shardul to bat when Rohit Sharma got out as they just needed 35 runs. There has been a lot of debate about whether Shardul should play or should it be Ashwin or Shami. So if you're playing him for batting depth, you might as well give him time in the middle."
On the importance of lower middle order getting batting time, Sehwag added:
"India excelled in all departments but could have given game time with the bat for the likes of Hardik and Jadeja. When your top four keep on scoring runs and suddenly one day they are dismissed, your lower middle order needs to perform. There's nothing like game time no matter how much you practice in nets. Runs under the belt are important."
"this fifty was more important for him than it was for India" - Ashish Nehra on Shreyas Iyer
While Rohit Sharma received plaudits for his breathtaking 86, Ashish Nehra believes Shreyas Iyer scoring an unbeaten half-century was also massive for his confidence. Iyer is back after a long injury lay-off and some runs in the World Cup will now keep him in good stead according to Nehra.
On this, he stated:
"The good thing about Shreyas Iyer is his ability to rotate strike as well as play the big shots against spinners. His hundred after comeback was an important innings and even this fifty was more important for him than it was for India. When your top 5-6 batters are in form, you can back yourself to chase even 350 on flat decks when the time comes."
India's resounding seven-wicket win improved their net run rate as well and they now sit at the top of the table.