Ravi Shastri Backs Out Of Favour India Batter, Says People Don’t Give Credit

The former India head coach emphasized the crucial role played by the Delhi-based player in the team’s composition.

Ravi Shastri poses for a photo on the grid during the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit.

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Former India head coach Ravi Shastri lauded India’s batter Shikhar Dhawan and stated that people do not really give him the credit he deserves. Shastri also spoke about young wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan and shared his school of thought on his position in the Indian team. The former India head coach emphasized the crucial role played by the Delhi-based player in the team’s composition.

"At the top of the order, nowhere else. And the others have to be flexible. Between Rohit, Virat, and Shubhman Gill, that can be 2, 3, 4. And a very important point is, I was a coach at that time, and I keep saying that people don’t give the credit that Shikhar Dhawan deserves. I mean, that guy was an amazing player. You mention the World Cup in 2019 where we lost that semifinal, when we had a brilliant World Cup, he was the missing man there. You know, that made such a big difference – a left-hander at the top of the order, as opposed to three right-handers with the ball swinging away, which allowed teams to get a grip on where to bowl and bowl consistently”, said Shastri on Star Sports Selection Day show.

The former India player also reflected on the importance of having two good left-handers in the top 7 of the team India batting setup.

"There are two positions in the top seven where I feel two left-handers have to come in. This is where a selector's role comes in because they are watching, they know who is the guy who is hot. If Tilak Varma is hot, bring him in. If Jaiswal is hot, bring him in. But bring two in at the top, so if you are persistent with Ishan Kishan for the last 6-8 months and he’s going to keep wickets, then he comes in, in any case. But getting two left-handers in that top seven, including Jaddu, there should be three in that top seven."

The Indian team is currently gearing up for the T20I series against Ireland where Jasprit Bumrah will be leading the Indian side, followed by Asia Cup and the high-octane World Cup. The Men in Blue will start their World Cup campaign by facing Australia on  October 8th at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The much-awaited game between India and Pakistan will be taking place on  October 14th at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.