'He'll Have to Contribute Better as a Batter': Gambhir Rings Alarm Bell for Star All-rounder Ahead of WC 23

Team India’s campaign in the recently-concluded Asia Cup spoke volumes about their preparedness for the forthcoming ICC World Cup 2023. Despite a hiccup against Bangladesh, the men in blue dominated the continental event and ended it as the champions. Their 228-run win against Pakistan in Super Four and a 10-wicket victory against co-hosts Sri Lanka in the final were a testament to their prowess in subcontinent conditions, given the fact that the forthcoming World Cup will be played on Indian soil.

The squads for the Asia Cup and the subsequent ICC World Cup looked balanced across departments and in fact, the team ticked all boxes in the recently-concluded continental event. Towards the end of the tournament, the team was dealt with some injury issues and the management took immediate steps to deal with them. They summoned Washington Sundar for the finals and called up Ravichandran Ashwin for the Australia ODIs.

But apart from the injuries, there are still a few concerns which are required to be addressed before entering the showpiece event next month. One of them is Ravindra Jadeja’s contribution with the bat down the order. Former India opener Gautam Gambhir pointed out that the southpaw needs to contribute more with the bat, especially in dire situations.

“We know he (Jadeja) can bowl 10 overs on any given day on any surface. He is an amazing fielder but he will have to contribute better as a batter at No. 7 because you cannot go in with just six batters,” noted Gambhir during a discussion on Star Sports.

“If Ishan Kishan plays at No. 5, there are question marks there as well. So Ravindra Jadeja will have to win matches with batting because you might have a situation where you need 80 or 90 runs in 10 overs and the No. 6 and No. 7 batters might be playing together,” he added.

Gambhir highlighted the point after Jadeja missed the make the opportunities he got during the Asia Cup. He managed just 25 runs in three innings, averaging a mere 8.33. However, he was quite effective with the ball, picking up six wickets in four innings at an economy rate of 4.34.