Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer said that Team India needs a fully fit Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja if they want to win the 2023 World Cup at home. He wants both all-rounders to be part of India’s squad for next year’s ODI Cricket World Cup.
He also highlighted the importance of having multiple bowling options in the team that played a key role in India’s successful campaign in the World Cup 2011 under MS Dhoni.
Wasim Jaffer said in an interview with CricTracker: “I think the key area for India to look at before the 2023 World Cup would be to get an all-rounder. I feel it’s very important for Hardik Pandya to be fit to bowl. Having Ravindra Jadeja along with him will provide a lot of balance.”
He further explained, “It’s great if we have two all-rounders. In the 2011 World Cup, we had plenty of options. Suresh Raina and Virender Sehwag were able to contribute with the ball. Yuvraj Singh, in particular, contributed a lot to the bowling department besides his batting heroics.”
Apart from the need to have all-rounders in the squad, Jaffer said that the Men in Blue should have a stringent batting unit as well to win the World Cup 2023.
He further said: “We also need depth in our batting department. If we bat up to 8 or 9, it would be vital. For example, Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur can come in. Allrounders will bring in a lot of depth. That will make the Indian team very strong.”
On being asked about India’s chances in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022, Jaffer feels the Indian team would not repeat the mistakes that they made last year in the UAE.
He signed off by saying, “We have seen much-improved batting after the Pakistan and New Zealand games, even though it was against lesser-important oppositions. But I have witnessed the intent, and I don’t think the players will repeat the mistake again.”
