Former Indian batter and World Cup hero Gautam Gambhir has rubbished the idea of former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri of having three left-handers in India’s batting line-up for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023 and World Cup 2023.
Gautam Gambhir Indirectly Rubbished Slammed Ravi Shastri’s Theory
Gambhir called the theory ‘useless’ while answering a question about the young batter Tilak Varma. While he didn’t name Shastri in any way but it was the former Indian head coach, who had suggested the idea of including at least three left-handers in India’s top seven.
Speaking on a Star Sports show, Shastri said:
“There are three other positions where I think two left-handers have to come in. If you have persisted with Ishan Kishan for the last six to eight months, and he’s going to keep wickets, he comes in, in any case. But, get two left-handers. Including Jaddu, there should be three left-handers in the top seven,”
Shastri also gave the example of Shikhar Dhawan and said that his injury after a against Australia in the last edition of the ODI World Cup hurt India badly as they didn’t have any left-handers in the top three.
However, Gautam Gambhir said that it doesn’t matter whether the player is a left-hander or a right-hander, but it is actually his form and impact that should be looked at while finalizing the squads for such important tournaments. He said:
“It is not important whether he is a left-hander or a right-hander. The debate that is going on that we need three left-handers is a completely useless thought. You look at the quality of the player and not how many left-handers you have. A good player whether a right-hander or left-hander will play well in every condition. So if Iyer plays well, or Rahul scores runs then pick them. It’s not necessary to pick left-handers if they are not in form. I don’t think there was any need to even start this left-hander debate. If you wanted left-handers then you have Yashasvi Jaiswal also. You always look at the quality and the form and not the quantity,”
Gambhir On Tilak Varma
When asked about the selection of Tilak Varma, Gambhir backed the decision and said that the youngster should be given some opportunity in the upcoming tournament. He said:
“If they have picked Tilak Varma then he should definitely get some games in Asia Cup. If he scores and plays well than some of the other batters then you should take that punt (for World Cup),”
Furthermore, Gautam Gambhir also pointed out that Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul will have to score runs if they want to book a seat in the World Cup squad otherwise there are many who can replace them in the squad. He said:
“No one is a frontrunner when you aim to win the World Cup. Form is important, impact is important. The ones who are in form should be packed rather than the big names whether it is Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul or anyone. If Tilak Varma or SKY or Ishan Kishan is in better form than them they should be picked. Rohit has said that no one is guaranteed a spot. Iyer and Rahul are returning from injuries but they will need to score runs to get into the World Cup squad,”
