Not Virat, Rohit, Or Suryakumar! Ravi Shastri Names Left-Handed Duo Key To India's T20 World Cup Chances

07/05/2024

not virat, rohit, hardik or suryakumar! ravi shastri names left-handed duo yashasvi jaiswal, shivam dube key to india’s t20 world cup chances

With almost a week passing since the Indian cricket team for the 2024 T20 World Cup was announced, cricket experts around the world have given their opinions on the squad and the chances of ending the Men in Blue’s 17-year-old drought. While Rinku Singh’s omission has been the biggest talking point, the make-up of the bowling unit has divided opinions too.

1983 World Cup-winner and ex-India head coach Ravi Shastri has become the latest to voice his opinion and name the key players for the Rohit Sharma-led team. While eyes are on players like skipper Rohit, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya, it was a left-handed batting duo that Shastri named as the key players.

Shastri named opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal and middle-order enforcer Shivam Dube as the keys to the hopes of the 2007 champions to lift the trophy for the second time in history. Both Dube and Jaiswal will be playing an ICC event for the first time in their careers.

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“The two gentlemen you’ve got to watch out for, and both are left-handers, both playing their first World Cup. One is [Yashasvi] Jaiswal. We know a lot about him, he did extremely well against England, explosive at the top of the order, left-hander, he’s young, he’s fearless and he’ll play shots. But there’s someone in the middle order, please watch out for [him], because he is explosive, he’s devastating and he’s a match-winner. He hits sixes for fun, and when it comes to spin bowling, he can kill you,” Shastri told ICC in an interaction.

“He’ll park a few balls out of Long Island into the small island, he’s that kind of a player. He hits it big, he hits it long, and like I said, against spin, he could kill you. Even against the fast bowlers, he’s worked out his game, he’s understood the way to play and I think he holds the key at that number five, number six position because if you’re on the doldrums, you want someone to change it in 20-25 balls, he’s the player to go to.

“His strike rate, which will be close to 200 most of the time, will help India immensely in going forward, getting those 190s, 200s that are needed in big competitions, especially like the [T20] World Cup. So enjoy it, watch out for this left-hander — he’s big, he’s strapping, and he hits a long ball,” Shastri added.

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Jaiswal has given India a unique dimension as a left-hander who has the ability to make the most of the powerplay. Dube has not played a lot for India in the national team, but his six-hitting ability in the spin in the middle overs.

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