Former India head coach Ravi Shastri, having seen and guided the team, doesn’t feel the current opening pairing of Rohit SHarma and Shubman Gill will be used by the management in the mega event.
With KL Rahul out injured, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill have been India’s go-to opening pair in ODIs. But, Shastri feels this pairing wouldn’t get the go-ahead in the World Cup as none of them is a left-hander.
“No, 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,” Shastri said in an interview with The Week.
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The former India head coach highlighted the likes of Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina (all left-handers) played pivotal roles in the 2011 World Cup triumph.
“Whenever you have done well [left-handers contributed]. In 2011, you had [Gautam] Gambhir, Yuvraj [Singh] and [Suresh] Raina. Go back to 1974… [Alvin] Kallicharran, [Roy] Fredericks, [Clive] Lloyd…. The same in 1979. The 1983 team was the only one that did not have a left-hander, but that whole tournament was against all odds. In 1987, Australia had enough… they had [Allan] Border at the top, they had another two or three, down the order. In 1996 Sri Lanka proved it again, with [Sanath] Jayasuriya, [Arjuna] Ranatunga, [Asanka] Gurusinha. And then Australia, with the Gilchrists and the Haydens. England have it now. That mix and balance has to be created,” he said.
