Ahead of India's Super Fours fixture against Pakistan as well as the crucial ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar has highlighted how India have failed to arrive at a settled Playing XI for the past two years. Akhtar contrasted India's scenario with Pakistan who who he reckoned are playing with one all-rounder less. He also expressed his surprise at how leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal was omitted from India's Asia Cup and World Cup squad.
"How they have not selected Chahal is beyond me. And again, I think Arshdeep needed to be in the squad because under pressure, when you are playing against someone like Pakistan, then you need that left-handed seamer. But the problem with the Indian team is that when they get out for 150 or 200, it’s not the batsmen but the bowlers who will have to perform. How long will you stretch your batting line-up? If the first five batsmen couldn’t do anything, then what will the No. 7 or No. 8 do? So, I literally believe that you’re playing with one bowler less," Shoaib Akhtar said during a virtual press conference organised by Star Sports ahead of The Greatest Rivalry.
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"And Pakistan are playing with one bowling all-rounder less. We could have gotten India out in under 200 runs. We were missing somebody like (Abdul) Razzaq in the middle, who could have provided the breakthrough and given us some runs also... Coming back to India, I don’t know why I have this feeling that India could not pick its final eleven for the past two years. I don’t feel the team is settled because now you all have injuries, three or four people have been replaced and your squad seems unsettled. It’s a strange thing for me that the squad doesn’t seem settled. We still don’t know who are the four main batsmen and who will bat at No.5, will Virat bat at No. 3 or 4?" Akhtar added during a virtual press conference organised by Star Sports.
India's Group-stage Asia Cup 2023 fixture at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy ended without a result. While India won the toss and elected to bat first, they were bowled out for 266. They were 66/4 at one stage and it needed a 138-run partnership between Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya to help them to a fighting total. However, it started raining just after India's innings ended and the match had to be called off. The arch-rivals will face off again on September 10 in Colombo.