Former Indian allrounder Irfan Pathan ignited a timeless conversation within the team the enduring challenge of limited allrounders or parttimers. The Men in Blue have constantly faced issues with their lineup particularly the absence of topfive batters capable of offering vital overs with the ball.
The Indian team encountered a challenging situation during the 2023 ODI World Cup dealing with only five bowling options after Hardik Pandyas injury setback. Looking forward to the 2024 T20 World Cup there are ongoing discussions on whether India should opt for three spinners or retain Hardik as the fifth bowler to enhance their batting depth.
Shivam Dube rolled his arm over in the warm-up match against Bangladesh, but it is uncertain whether this would be a possibility in the tournament’s official contests.
Yashasvi Jaiswal was noticeably absent throughout the match, and there is even suspicion that the kid would not make it to the playing XI. The notion of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma starting and Rishabh Pant moving up to No. 3 is allegedly being considered.
Jaiswal possesses various distinguishing characteristics, like aggressive batting with intent and being a left-handed batsman. However, Irfan Pathan mentioned the youngster’s aptitude to bowl part-time leg spin. Irfan Pathan said:
“With the selected team, there can be two combinations. In one combination, you can play with six bowlers, including Axar Patel, to deepen the batting lineup. In the other combination, you can play with four front-line bowlers and expect Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya to bowl. Another option for Team India is a young player who bowls in the nets but hasn’t bowled in matches, Yashasvi Jaiswal. Shivam Dube also mentioned during the IPL that he has been regularly bowling in the nets, preparing to bowl one or two overs in the World Cup.”
Irfan Pathan
Irfan Pathan went on to say that with the top-order batsmen not contributing with the ball, Team India is ‘handicapped’. Other teams have Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Will Jacks, and others as viable possibilities to roll their arm over, something India has been lacking for some time. Irfan Pathan said:
“If Hardik can give you the option of bowling three to four overs, this problem will be largely solved. Our other batsmen, like Rohit, Virat, or Suryakumar Yadav, can’t bowl, which makes us somewhat handicapped. Ideally, if any of these players could bowl, it would greatly benefit the team. We talk about Australia, but even England has many all-rounders among their top seven players, including Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, and Will Jacks. It’s always better to have more bowling options, and yes, in this scenario, we are definitely handicapped.”
Irfan Pathan
Sunil Gavaskar has just suggested that we should think about having three spinners in Indias playing XI. Hardik Pandya could also step in as the third seamer providing a few overs when needed.
“Lack of all-rounders is a bit of a weakness for Team India” – Sanjay Manjrekar
The historic 2011 ODI World Cup-winning team included dependable bowlers in the top six, including Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina, who provided the captain with choices while making bowling changes. There is no such privilege this time.
Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar drew parallels between Australias wealth of allrounders and their vast options elucidating Indias challenges stemming from the Impact Player rule in the IPL.
“Lack of all-rounders is a bit of a weakness for Team India. If you look at Australia, their batters like Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, and Cameron Green can bowl four overs in a match. I think that’s why the Indian team has brought Shivam Dube into the side to mitigate the limitations that come with a lack of all-rounders. Yes, it’s a small weakness, and now with the impact substitute rule in the IPL, this problem might increase. We currently rely on specialist bowlers and batters, but in this World Cup, the team will need to make some adjustments, and someone will have to bowl at least two to three overs in a match.”
Sanjay Manjrekar
On Wednesday, June 5, Team India will face Ireland in New York to begin their World Cup campaign.