Former India player and head coach, Anil Kumble has pointed out one weakness of India for the upcoming ODI World Cup.
With the squad announced earlier by the BCCI, it has received its fair share of praises and criticisms from fans and experts alike.
Since the 2011 ODI World Cup, fans have high expectations from India once again as the marquee event returns to the subcontinent.
However, Kumble has expressed his dissatisfaction with the squad selection of the BCCI.
According to Kumble, there are very few batters who can contribute with the ball as well but there are bowlers who can contribute well with the bat.
Moreover, he also feels that India should’ve invested their time in preparing youngsters and players between the four years from the previous World Cup to now.
But, they haven’t done that and the result is a half-cooked side that will be playing in the World Cup.
Kumble says India didn’t use their time properly to hone youngsters
Says Kumble,
The one problem that perhaps needed to be addressed from the last World Cup to this World Cup was that we needed more all-rounders, which has never been addressed. You don’t have batters who come and give you those options, and bowlers giving you some batting is secondary. But I think batters giving you bowling options certainly increases the depth.
Adding further, he says,
We had four years and had to develop those players. Instructions had to be given to identifed players, and they should have identified and said okay, you are the guys who are going to give me options. You know for example Yashasvi Jaiswal. I know he bowls a bit of leg break. But I have hardly seen him bowl in any match in the last one year.
Talking further, Kumble has stated that an ideal scenario would be to have Ravindra Jadeja at No.8 in the batting lineup but currently, he is occupying the No.7 spot.
That’s why he has stressed the importance of having all-rounders in the Indian batting lineup.
Shreyas Iyer gives a bit of bowling. Now I don’t know with his back issue whether he’ll come in and bowl. Rohit used to bowl with the shoulder dislocation, and I know that he has that problem so he is not gonna bowl. So who’s it gonna be? You need options in the top. If you had that ideally you know in this lineup for an ideal sort of real batting depth, Jadeja at number eight would have been the best option but today he is at number seven.
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