Former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer has highlighted the concerns for Team India with the ICC World Cup to be held next year. He expressed that the biggest concern gearing up for the tournament will be the lack of sixth and seventh bowling options, in Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja’s absence. The duo has done a good job for Team India over the years as all-rounders.
Wasim Jaffer pointed out that Team India had a lot of batters who could bowl during the 2011 World Cup, which they won. The likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, and Virender Sehwag, who were part of the winning team, could contribute even with the ball, However, now, the lack of bowling options in the top four of the XI hurts Team India’s combination. Speaking on the Espncricinfo, Wasim Jaffer expressed,
“India do miss (more bowling options). If you see the teams of 2010 and even before, a lot of batters used to bowl. India had that luxury when Sachin, Sehwag, Yuvraj, and Sourav Ganguly used to bowl. In this team, you don’t see many batters do that.”
Washington Sundar was a bright spot on the New Zealand tour: Wasim Jaffer
Former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer further praised all-rounder Washington Sundar, who performed well on the recently concluded tour of New Zealand. He scored 88 runs in two innings in the ODI series. Speaking about the all-rounder, Wasim Jaffer termed him as a “bright spot” from the New Zealand tour. He said,
“Without a doubt, I think he was a bright spot on this tour. He came after an injury and put on a show. In both the ODIs, he batted very beautifully. A very good bowler who can bowl even in the powerplay. He is young, can mature, and become an even better cricketer.”
Wasim Jaffer added that the batting performance of Team India was below par. He said,
“Shubman Gill looked good, Shikhar Dhawan looked good as well, and Shreyas Iyer, but other than that, I thought the batting display was way below par.”
New Zealand won the ODI series 1-0 after the third match ended in No Result due to rain. Meanwhile, India clinched the T20I series 1-0 earlier on the tour.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.
