"They’ve got some good problems to solve through the middle-order" - Matthew Hayden on Team India's batting lineup for Asia Cup 2023
Former Australian player Matthew Hayden feels that India's stacked middle-order options in the Asia Cup squad provide a good selection headache. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, announced a 17-man squad for the upcoming tournament on Monday, August 21.
It featured the return of vital middle-order pieces such as KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer from injury and young sensation Tilak Varma, along with his Mumbai Indians (MI) teammate Suryakumar Yadav.
Speaking on the sidelines of the CEAT Cricket Rating Award, Hayden stated that having several options is a sound strategy that will keep each one on their toes at all times.
"They’ve got some good problems to solve through the middle-order. If they can fill spots with talented young players like Tilak Varma, it can put pressure on someone like Suryakumar Yadav — I think that’s a good strategy; keep everyone honest in the side and performing, so not a bad move," said Hayden.
The former Australian batter added that the strategy would work not only for the upcoming ODI World Cup but also for the T20 World Cup next year.
"In the lead up to World Cups, you’re always going to have some players and we’ve seen the class of Tilak Varma. I think it’s a good strategy in terms of not just this World Cup but even potentially getting into the next World Cup (T20 World Cup 2024) as well," he said.
"The great thing about Team India is that it has got a really solid 1-2-3 combination, similar to Australia. When you look at their last four or five months, they’ve had a really strong engine room," added Hayden.
With Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli almost certain to form India's top three for the ODIs, they will have plenty of options in the middle order.
While Tilak Varma hasn't debuted in the 50-over format, he has impressed massively in the T20 format in the IPL and the first few games in international cricket recently.
"Feel very confident in the fact that Indian cricket is in good hands" - Matthew Hayden
Matthew Hayden added that the number of batters that immediately deliver on the international stage despite no prior experience keeps Indian cricket in great shape.
The recent West Indies series was further evidence, with Yashasvi Jaiswal scoring a 171 on his Test debut and Tilak Varma averaging 57.67 in his maiden T20I series.
"(It) is this extreme talent, especially within the batting sense, that brings India to life. Gill hasn’t played a lot of one-day cricket for his country yet. Tilak Varma hasn’t played a game of one-day cricket for his country. But that doesn’t mean they’re not able to deliver," said Hayden.
"And this is what we’ve seen in the IPL. We’ve seen names which otherwise you’d have absolutely zero idea of, come to the IPL, not an international stage but certainly an international event, and set it alight. So, I feel very confident in the fact that Indian cricket is in good hands," added Hayden.
At 23, Gill is another one from the young brigade who has taken International cricket by storm, with a century in all formats and a double century in ODIs.
The young talents will now look to showcase their talent on the bigger stages — the Asia Cup and the home World Cup.
The Asia Cup is set to get underway on August 30, and the Men in Blue will open their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on September 2 at Pallekele.