Gautam Gambhir Slams 'Useless Thought' Of Including Three Left-Handers In India XI For ODI World Cup 2023

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir believes quality should be preferred over number of left-handers in Indian squad.

Gautam Gambhir asserted that a player should be picked on the basis of his form and impact he can create.

Source : PTI

2011 ODI World Cup winner Gautam Gambhir, regarded as one of the best left-handed Indian batters in 50-over format, blasts idea of having three left-handed batters in India's playing XI for 2023 One-Day-International (ODI) World Cup -- an idea which was floated by former India head coach Ravi Shastri a few days back, prior to the squad selection for Asia Cup 2023. Gambhir asserted that a player should be picked on the basis of his form and impact he can create, irrespective of whether he's a right-handed or left-handed batter. Gambhir believes quality should be preferred over number of left-handers in Indian squad.

"It is not important whether he is a left-hander or a right-hander. The debate that is going on about whether we need three left-handers is a completely useless thought. You look at the quality of the player, not how many left-handers you have. A good player, whether a right-hander or left-hander, will play well in every condition. So, if Iyer plays well or Rahul scores runs, then pick them. It's not necessary to pick left-handers if they are not in form. I don't think there was any need to even start this left-hander debate. If you wanted left-handers, then you have Yashasvi Jaiswal also. You always look at the quality and the form and not the quantity," Gambhir said on Star Sports.

Last week, while speaking on Star Sports, Shastri said: "There are three other positions where I think two left-handers have to come in. If you have persisted with Ishan Kishan for the last six to eight months and he's going to keep wickets, he comes in in any case. But get two left-handers. Including Jaddu, there should be three left-handers in the top seven."

Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee on Monday (August 21) picked Tilak Varma, stylish left-handed batter from Hyderabad, in India's Asia Cup 2023 squad. The 20-year-old, after making a memorable T20I debut against West Indies recently, will be playing his career's first ODI match for the national team in upcoming continental tournament.

Asked about Varma's inclusion in India's Asia Cup 2023 team, Gambhir said: "If they have picked Tilak Varma, then he should definitely get some games in the Asia Cup. If he scores and plays well than some of the other batters, then you should take that punt (for the World Cup)."

"No one is a frontrunner when you aim to win the World Cup. Form is important, and impact is important. The ones who are in form should be packed rather than the big names, whether it is Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, or anyone else. If Tilak Varma, Sky, or Ishan Kishan are in better form than them, they should be picked. Rohit has said that no one is guaranteed a spot. Iyer and Rahul are returning from injuries, but they will need to score runs to get into the World Cup squad," Gambhir added.