What Is The Best Pool Of Batters India Has, Who Can Play World Cup 2023?

The search for the perfect squad for World Cup 2023 has begun for team India. With new management and captain, it can be safely said that India is going through a transition phase. 

One of the major concerns for India in the tournaments is the lack of role clarity, especially on the batting front. India has some world-class batters and a massive bench strength but a lack of role clarity gets exposed every now and then. 

To not repeat the same mistake again, the Rahul Dravid-led management needs to find a pool of batters for each batting position and make them play whenever an opportunity arises. 

In the recent ODI series against South Africa, KL Rahul was made to open in the absence of Indian captain Rohit Sharma. However, Rahul has been playing in the middle order was at least the last year and has done brilliantly well. 

The management needs to decide the exact position where Rahul is supposed to play. They can't switch one of the top batters in the Indian circuit for every series as per the availability of players. 

Rohit Sharma is the permanent opener of the team. Management can pool in Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Prithvi Shaw as the opening options going forward. 

Dhawan is one of the experience batters in the lineup and the trio of him, Rohit, and Kohli are one of the dangerous trios for any opposition to face in the ODIs. Dhawan should definitely be the first-choice opener with Rohit Sharma. 

Gaikwad and Shaw have proved that they are too good for domestic cricket and need to be tested in the international games. Whenever an opportunity comes, the management needs to make sure at least one of these two plays in the opening slot. 

Like Rohit in the opening, the number three position is fixed for Virat Kohli. There is no introduction for him but the team needs to find his alternative. Kohli won't be playing in all the series due to workload and that is the best time to try Shreyas Iyer in that spot. 

Iyer has been mostly played at 4,5,6 spot which doesn't go by his gameplay. He needs time to settle and has the ability to play long. He plays spin well - an average of 103.33 in ODIs with a strike rate of 106.89. India can get more out of Iyer if he bats at three. 

Rishabh Pant has more or less settled the debate of number four at least for now. He will get to bat mostly in the middle overs. His attacking gameplay, especially in the middle overs where he strikes at nearly 100, will be the difference in most of the matches. 

Pant's alternative for wicketkeeping options and number four position could be Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson. They both have a similar game as Pant and are specialist keepers. 

Ishan has been picked in the squad regularly and should be given opportunities to settle down at the spot. Although Sanju hasn't been picked for a while but could be tried at that position. 

The number five spot should be that of KL Rahul. Even though Rahul has a wide range of shots but whenever he opens, he tries to play with "responsibility" which means he doesn't try much and starts anchoring. 

Rahul's strike rate while batting at number five is 113.81 in 10 innings. Batting at number five will keep away from responsibility unless there is a collapse. He knows how to anchor, he knows how to smash the ball out of the park. India's middle-order woes will settle when Rahul will be back at number 5. 

Rahul's alternative could be Suryakumar Yadav. He is someone who likes to play aggressively and can take on the spin in the middle overs. Surya is the perfect replacement whenever Rahul isn't available. 

The number 6 and 7 spots are the most tricky. These two positions should ideally be given to those who have two skills but can be picked for even one skill as well. Hardik Pandya is an experienced player of batting at number 6 and should be given his spot as soon as he is fit; him bowling even five overs will be a big plus for India. 

Another player that India tried is Venkatesh Iyer. He played two games with average returns although those were played in South Africa with Indian batting not doing well. However, it was the beginning of the management narrowing down a spot for a two-skill player. 

Ravindra Jadeja has been playing at number seven for a while now. It is safe to say that he is currently at the peak of his powers and India will need him in ODIs. However, India is trying to find his alternative as well. 

Washington Sundar, Deepak Hooda, and Krunal Pandya are some good options who are spinners and handy batters. In the upcoming ODI series against West Indies, India has selected Sundar and Hooda for this role. 

Also Read: Ashes 2021-22 - England vs Australia Schedule and Squads

Let's take a look at what the pool of top seven Indian batters might look like in the future ODI series and the World Cup 2023: