Former India coach Ravi Shastri has provided insights into the upcoming Asia Cup 2023 and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, shedding light on the position of Ishan Kishan in the batting lineup and highlighting the significant role that veteran player Shikhar Dhawan has played in the team.
Speaking on the Star Sports Selection Day show, Shastri touched on the ongoing discussions regarding the lineup for the Asia Cup 2023 and the approaching ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. One key decision yet to be finalized is the opening batsman to partner with Rohit Sharma, with Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill emerging as strong contenders.
Reflecting on past experiences, particularly the 2019 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup campaign, Shastri emphasized the often underestimated role played by seasoned Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan.
“At the top of the order, nowhere else. And the others have to be flexible. Between Rohit, Virat, and Shubhman Gill, that can be 2, 3, 4. And a very important point is, I was a coach at that time, and I keep saying that people don’t give the credit that Shikhar Dhawan deserves. I mean, that guy was an amazing player.
“You mention the World Cup in 2019 where we lost that semifinal when we had a brilliant World Cup, he was the missing man there. You know, that made such a big difference -– a left-hander at the top of the order, as opposed to three right-handers with the ball swinging away, which allowed teams to get a grip of where to bowl and bowl consistently,” Shastri explained.
Shastri’s observations come as the BCCI recently announced a squad mainly composed of young talents for the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games, scheduled for September-October. With the primary players focused on preparations for the ODI World Cup on home turf, the responsibility of leading India’s secondary squad in China was expected to fall on Shikhar Dhawan. However, the selectors opted for young Ruturaj Gaikwad to captain the Asian Games team.
Dhawan’s last appearance for the Indian cricket team dates back to December of the previous year during the tour of Bangladesh.
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-IANS
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