ICC World Cup 2019 | India best equipped with respect to all-rounders, says Lalchand Rajput
Lalchand Rajput has stated that India are the best equipped side with respect to all-rounders in the upcoming World Cup in England and Wales. The number two ranked side has two pace bowling all-rounders in Hardik Pandya and Vijay Shankar, whereas a spin bowling all-rounder in Ravindra Jadeja.
India has named three all-rounders in its 15-man squad for the World Cup starting May 30. Apart from a pace troika and a spin duo, the side has two quick bowling all-rounders in Hardik Pandya and Vijay Shankar and even a tweaker in Ravindra Jadeja. Add to that, the part time off spin of Kedar Jadhav. The Maharashtra batsman has an average of 43.48 while batting and even a bowling average of 34.70, thereby, his credentials as an all-rounder cannot be dismissed too. Cricketer turned coach Lalchand Rajput feels that India is a very well balanced side.
"I think India has got best bowling attack and we have got a very well balanced team. We have got very good all-rounders and if we look at any other team, India is best equipped for that," he said on Sunday, reported PTI.
The relatively inexperienced Vijay Shankar has been entitled a crucial role and is being looked as a number four batsman. Hardik Pandya is known for his big hitting abilities and has a strike rate of 116.58 and has even picked 44 wickets in as many innings. Ravindra Jadeja is the only Indian player with three triple hundreds in First Class Cricket, has a decent average of 29.92 in ODIs and has also picked 174 wickets in 147 innings. The current Zimbabwe coach believes that the presence of good all-rounders will take the team to at least the semi-finals.
"…. And if it is a good day for our team, it is very difficult to beat them. And Hardik is a great X-factor in the team and Jadeja who can get going at the lower order, so overall I think we have got a very good chance and I think we should be in the top four," expressed the 57-year-old.
India has no dearth of world class batsmen and India’s top three Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and skipper Virat Kohli have dominated the batting charts in one dayers across all the teams since the previous edition of the World Cup. Rajput, who was the coach of the coach of Afghanistan, feels that the top three make a huge impact despite the all-rounders.
"As I said, there are a lot of all-rounders, all-rounders makes lot of difference and I think we have got good all-rounders, the strikers as well, we got a very heavy top three (batsmen) and that's very important,” he explained.
Rajput was the team’s manager when they lifted the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 and he even made comparisons between the then and the current side.
"Earlier also there was (Virender) Sehwag, Sachin (Tendulkar), now we have got Dhawan, Rohit and Virat and then we have got the X-factor, somebody can really bang like a Pandya, (MS) Dhoni as usual a great finisher, so we have got a very well balanced team," he signed off.
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