The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a 17-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023. There were a couple of surprise picks with Tilak Varma earning a maiden call-up for the tournament even before making his ODI debut while Suryakumar Yadav has been retained in the squad in spite of his modest record in the format.
Former India opener Gautam Gambhir believes the selection panel led by former India pacer Ajit Agarkar have made a good decision in selecting Suryakumar Yadav, who is currently world No. 1 T20I batter on ICC ranking.
“I will only look at the form, not the name. Because if you want to win the World Cup, only form and impact from the players will help you win. A good thing the selectors have done is picked Suryakumar Yadav in the team. Because Suryakumar Yadav may not have the consistency, but he has the impact, and the team management should find the most efficient way to use him,” Gautam Gambhir said while speaking exclusively to Star Sports on ‘Selection Day’ show on Monday.
“So, in my opinion, whether it’s KL Rahul or Shreyas Iyer or anybody, we will look at their form after the Asia Cup 2023 and which team plays in the Australia series. That series will determine who plays in the World Cup rather than deciding after the series is over that who will play in the World Cup. Because there should be a series before the World Cup where your main squad plays together,” the Lucknow Super Giants mentor added.
The selectors also informed that the injured batting duo of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer have regained their fitness and will be part of the Asia Cup 2023 squad as well.
“One thing is clear; there is no front runner for a position when you are trying to win the World Cup. Form and impact are important. The players who are in form need to be picked, rather than those who are not. Let it be Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, or anybody. If Tilak Varma is in better form than someone, if Suryakumar Yadav is in better form than Shreyas Iyer or KL Rahul or Ishan Kishan, then you need to start that player,” the former Kolkata Knight Riders skipper said.
“Because the World Cup comes once in four years, you don’t go and see who is a front runner or not. Who is in the best form after the Asia Cup and the Australia series, just as Rohit Sharma had said, there is no guarantee for anybody’s position. It’s great to have Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul back from injury, but they will need to perform if they want to get in the starting lineup of the squad,” Gambhir added.
Sanju Samson is not picked over Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan & Tilak Varma for Asia Cup because he he didn't have MI lobby pass.
Being #SanjuSamson is very hard __ pic.twitter.com/uVFmgtD4IZ— Rahul_Sanju (@rawhul9) August 21, 2023
Gambhir also shunned down any debate on whether there is a need for three left handers in the squad, emphasizing that players should be picked on form rather than whether they are left or right handed, he said, “If he has been picked (Tilak Varma), then of course he should get some matches to play. And if he gets game time and performs better than other batsmen, then you should definitely take him in the squad. Because, as I’ve said earlier, form is important. This debate about who is a left-hander or a right-hander or whether we need three left-handers is a useless debate. We look at quality, we do not look to see how many left-handers are in the squad. If the batsman is good regardless of whether he is a right-hander or a left-hander, we should see how he performs in every condition and against each bowler. If Tilak Varma is in good form, then select him.
“If Shreyas Iyer or KL Rahul are in good form, then select them. It’s not a compulsion that you have to keep a left-hander in the squad or that you need to have three left-handers in the lineup. I don’t think we need to even start a debate like this. If we are focusing on left-handers, then what about Yashasvi Jaiswal and other left-handers? But you look at quality, don’t you, not quantity,” the former India southpaw said.
