India have been pretty successful in their round robin stage matches. Apart from the loss against England, they have won every other completed game. However, the middle order is still a worrying point for the team management. Former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin feels that all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja should be included in the playing XI in the semi-finals.
Jadeja has made his presence felt with his exceptional fielding abilities whenever he was required in the field. With Jadhav, Dhoni and Hardik performing below expectations, Azhar felt Jadeja was needed with the bat. His bowling will be a plus point.
The 56-year-old said, “Maybe try Jadeja, he is a utility player. In the last game [against Bangladesh] I thought maybe Jadeja could have played because you had a very thin batting line-up. Jadeja on these [English] wickets with the ball holding up and not coming on to the bat will be a force to reckon with. He is also a good fielder and a lusty batsman. They should try him against Sri Lanka.”
The reserve wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik was also given a game where he could not make a big contribution in the middle order. Azhar too believed in the fact that the middle order is a big concern going into the knockout stages.
Azharuddin, who is the only Indian to lead the team in three World Cups, said, “Definitely the middle order has not done well. You need to be prepared because sometimes the three wickets fall early. Rishabh Pant coming back has given the team some stability. But still, a lot was expected from Kedar Jadhav but he has not delivered. You need to have a re-look at the players who are going to play in the semi-finals.”
MS Dhoni was heavily criticized after his intentless knock against England which led to India’s first loss in the competition. Azhar didn’t have a different opinion on it.
“Sometimes you have to get on with the game. If you lose your wicket it’s fine but you have to score runs. You have to apply yourself, you can’t play scoring shots all the time,” the former middle-order batsman said.
(Source: AFP)
