Former India batsman Mohammad Kaif made a big call by not including Mohammed Siraj in his best India XI for World Cup 2023. Instead, Kaif went with Shardul Thakur, who provides some batting depth, over Siraj, even though Siraj has been one of the best new ball bowlers in the world in recent times.
The biggest cricket tournament of the year, World Cup 2023, is less than two months away and India don’t even know their best XI, let alone the best 15 that will be selected for the World Cup tournament. Injuries and the form of some players have made it a really difficult challenge for the selectors and the management to jot down their final plans.
A reflection of India’s plans and thinking will be revealed when the Asia Cup squad gets announced and how the team performs in the continental tournament.
Selecting his best India XI for the World Cup 2023, considering that all players will be fit and available for the mega-event in India, Mohammad Kaif picked his side.
The top and middle-order of the side are pretty much predictable if both Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul are fit for the tournament. Shubman Gill is set to open with Rohit Sharma, followed by Virat Kohli, Iyer, and KL Rahul as the wicket-keeper. Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja are the two all-rounders in the side.
The bowling department is a bit tricky because of the multiple good options. To add batting depth, Mohammad Kaif opted to have either Axar Patel or Shardul Thakur in the side along with wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who has been doing well in ODIs this year – Kuldeep has snapped up 22 wickets in 11 ODIs in 2023.
Will Mohammed Siraj find a place in India’s World Cup XI?
To complete the pace department, Kaif picked Bumrah and Shami, both of whom are set to return in the Asia Cup. This meant that Kaif dropped Siraj from the side. It is not to forget Siraj’s sensational form in recent times: since the start of 2022, Siraj has snapped up 43 wickets in 23 ODIs – from the teams that will be at the World Cup, no bowler has more wickets than Siraj in this period. And he’s been exceptional with the new ball, making regular dents early on.
Kaif further named Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, and Ishan Kishan as backups.
Mohammed Kaif’s India World Cup XI: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel or Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami.
