Sunil Gavaskar bats for Rishabh Pant’s inclusion in World Cup squad

The selectors might have their work cut out for them before the World Cup starts in June but Gavaskar had already voiced his opinion ahead of the tournament. He believes that it is crucial to have a left-handed batsman like Rishabh Pant at No.4 or 5 and also wanted to play the wicket-keeper batsman in the home series against Australia early next month.

"I would look at Rishabh Pant because he brings the left-handedness into the top line-up. I would look at Rishabh playing in the 5 ODIs against Australia, because that will give a fair idea on how the young kid is shaping up with giving him a little more responsibility at No. 4 or 5," Gavaskar said.

While the No.5 role is currently occupied by MS Dhoni, it is actually the spot occupied by Dinesh Karthik that Gavaskar wants Pant to take over. Gavaskar was quick to add that he would have Karthik on the plane for the World Cup as well but in the capacity of a spare opener. 

"The left-handed option in the middle order I think is very crucial. I would look at Dinesh Karthik as the third opener because you want to carry a spare opener in your 15 anyway. Even if you have three wicket-keepers in your squad, MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, and Rishabh Pant, so be it. I think it will give the team just a little flexibility with the batting."

Hardik Pandya made a return to International cricket in the last two games of the New Zealand series and showed that he is still the man for the coveted all rounder spot in the Indian team. When asked about who the second all-rounder could be when deciding the squad for the World Cup, Gavaskar shortlisted Ravindra Jadeja and Vijay Shankar. However, based on the conditions on offer in England, the Indian legend gave the latter the nod.

"It's going to be between Vijay Shankar and Ravindra Jadeja in the squad for the World Cup, and looking at where the tournament is being held, I think it may be Vijay Shankar.

"If I am looking for balance amongst the seamers, I would say no I am not looking for a fourth seamer in the team. The way it's going with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah, the fourth seamer is not coming to the party yet. I will go with three, I would say Hardik (Pandya) comes as the fourth seamer and again Vijay Shankar can come in as batsman who can bowl a little bit, so I think it gives the team a little bit of balance," the former Indian captain told Star Sports after the ODI series in New Zealand. 

The spin duo of Kuldeep and Chahal had picked themselves for the World Cup with their scintillating performances in the last year or so. However, given the conditions, there is a chance that only one of them could feature in the playing eleven and Gavaskar felt that the spinners had to be utilized appropriately based on the opposition that India plays at various levels of the tournament. 

"If I am playing Pakistan I will go with Yuzvendra Chahal, if you are playing with Australia, England and South Africa I will go with Kuldeep Yadav, because somewhere they do not read Kuldeep. I'll have both in my squad and pick accordingly because I do believe England, South Africa and Australia perhaps not pick Kuldeep Yadav as much as they would be able to pick a little bit of  Chahal," he added.

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