The excitement is building up as the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup approaches, scheduled to take place in India from October 5 to November 19. The hosts, India, will kick off their campaign on October 8 against five-time World Cup champions Australia at Chepauk.
With less than three months to go for the prestigious event, cricket enthusiasts and experts have already started speculating about the possible squad and key players for Team India. Former cricketer Wasim Jaffer recently shared his picks for the 15-member Indian squad in an interview with Jio Cinema.
Jaffer named the following three openers for India – Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Shikhar Dhawan. Although Dhawan might not be a certain starter, Jaffer emphasized the importance of having an experienced campaigner as a backup opener in the squad.
“My three openers will be Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Shikhar Dhawan. Even though Shikhar Dhawan is not going to be picked, I will keep him as the backup opener. Even if he doesn’t play at the start, I am okay with that,” said Jaffer.
Moving on to the middle order, the Mumbaikar chose Virat Kohli at No. 3, followed by Shreyas Iyer at No. 4, KL Rahul at No. 5 and Hardik Pandya at No. 6. For the spin department, Jaffer included Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav as his preferred playing XI.
“After that, Virat Kohli at No. 3 obviously. Shreyas Iyer at No. 4, KL Rahul at No. 5 and Hardik Pandya at No. 6. Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav will be my three spinners in the XI,” he added.
Also read: Here’s the full schedule of ODI World Cup 2023
In the fast bowling department, Jaffer selected Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj/Mohammad Shami as two specialist pacers. However, he stressed the significance of Pandya’s ability to bowl a few overs, especially considering that the World Cup is being played in India.
“In my XI, I will have Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj/Mohammad Shami. I will play two seamers – Bumrah and Siraj. For me, it is very important that Hardik Pandya bowls because the World Cup is in India. Even if he doesn’t bowl 10 overs and bowls seven-eight overs, it’s enough for me,” Jaffer added further.
Jaffer concluded his squad by choosing Shardul Thakur and Sanju Samson as his other backup players.
“If he [Hardik] bowls, I will definitely try to play three spinners and I will definitely play both Axar and Jadeja because they are all-rounders. My third spinner will obviously be Kuldeep. My fourth seamer will be Shardul Thakur. Sanju Samson will be my backup keeper because I have already picked Shikhar as my third opener.”
Meanwhile, star leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal didn’t find a place in Jaffer’s 15-man squad. Chahal was recently selected for the upcoming limited-overs against the hosts West Indies.
Wasim Jaffer’s India squad for the 2023 World Cup:
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammad Shami, Sanju Samson, Shardul Thakur.