India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey ruled out any talks of rotation in the playing XI for the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023 match between India and Bangladesh. This encounter will be played on October 19 at the MCA stadium in Pune.
India has won all of its first three matches in the tournament and Mhambrey said that India would not tinker with their winning combination. This means that Suryakumar Yadav and Mohammad Shami will continue to warm the bench for Men in Blue.
India floored five-time World Cup winners Australia in their tournament opener and followed that up with dominating victories over Afghanistan and arch-rivals Pakistan.
Mhambrey said the team has taken a tough decision to bench players of the caliber of Shami, Suryakumar, and Ravichandran Ashwin but the choices have been keeping in mind the best interest of the side.
"It is important to maintain the start. As of now, there is no discussion of rotation from our point of view. We want to carry this momentum to the next game as well,” Mhambrey told the media ahead of India's training session.
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Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah have done well for India with the new ball with support from Hardik Pandya. Mhambrey said that it was difficult to see a quality fast bowler like Shami not getting a game so far in the World Cup, but the team management has kept him in the loop the whole time.
“Honestly, it is never easy to see. But right now the conversations are on, we had a clear chat with him. Whenever we select a squad the message from us is clear that we pick a team we feel is the best for that wicket," Mhambrey added.
"Sometimes you will miss out, someone like him is missing out, someone like Ash (Ravichandran Ashwin) will miss out and I think that is the communication we had with him (and) we were very clear. It is a difficult decision, honestly, we know with the quality that he brings to the team. It is difficult but we have to take the decision, we (can) only have eleven on the field," the India bowling coach added.
Mhambrey praised Ashwin for being a perfect 'team guy' after the 'world-class' bowler was dropped from the team after the opening game against Australia in Chennai. Mhambrey said all talks in the camp are always team-centric.
"He has been a great lad, he understands that he is a great team guy. I have never seen him grumpy, I have never seen him complaining at any time in any of the last few years that he has been with us," the former India player said.
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As for Suryakumar Yadav, the batter came into the World Cup with two half-centuries against Australia in the ODI series. But he has yet to break into the playing XI in any of the matches. Mhambrey said it is difficult to create space in the playing XI for Suryakumar.
"Surya is a champion, he is a match-winner for you. He has shown (it) to you. He is a difficult batsman to bowl anywhere, look at the fine leg area (and) you need to get it covered, you look at third man (and) you need to get it covered. You bring covers up and he starts hitting out there. He is a 360 (degree) player.
It is a difficult decision, like Ashwin, and Shami. Surya is a quality player, (but) it is difficult to get someone like him. You need to create an opportunity for him to play, but the question then (gets) asked is Who do you replace him with? We do not have a slot for him right now but we all know what he brings to the table. If an opportunity arises, he will get his game," Mhambrey said.
A win against Bangladesh will take India one step closer to semi-final qualification.
(PTI inputs)
