Rohit, Virat, or Suryakumar Yadav, can’t bowl, which makes us somewhat handicapped

Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan raised an age-old issue regarding the team – the lack of part-timers or all-rounders in general. The Men in Blue’s combination has always been affected with none of the top-five batters being able to contribute a few overs with the ball.

Team India had to settle with five bowling options at the 2023 ODI World Cup following Hardik Pandya’s injury. In the 2024 T20 World Cup, there is deliberation over whether India will play three spinners or settle with Hardik as the fifth bowler for the sake of batting depth.

In the warm-up clash against Bangladesh, Shivam Dube also rolled his arm over, but it is unclear whether that is an option for the actual matches in the tournament.

Yashasvi Jaiswal was surprisingly absent during the encounter, and there is even speculation that the youngster might not make it to the playing XI. A possibility of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma opening, and Rishabh Pant being promoted to No. 3 is reportedly being explored.

Jaiswal has several key traits, including his aggressive batting with intent and being a left-handed batter. However, Irfan Pathan also brought up the youngster’s ability to bowl part-time leg spin.

“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 said on Star Sports.

Pathan further noted that with the top-order batters not contributing with the ball, it leaves Team India ‘handicapped’. Other teams have Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Will Jacks, and others as potential options to roll their arm over, something India have lacked for some while.

“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 added.

Sunil Gavaskar had recently suggested that India include three spinners in their playing XI while Hardik Pandya can be the third seamer who can chip in with a couple of overs.

“Lack of all-rounders is a bit of a weakness for Team India” – Sanjay Manjrekar

The iconic 2011 ODI World Cup-winning side had reliable bowlers in the top six, like Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina, who gave the skipper options while exploring bowling changes. However, there is no such luxury this time around.

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar used Australia as an example, who are spoilt for choices when it comes to all-rounders. He also cited IPL’s Impact Player rule as a key factor behind the predicament that India are facing.

“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,” Manjrekar stated.

Team India will begin their World Cup campaign against Ireland in New York on Wednesday, June 5.