Asia Cup 2023: 'Useless Thought' - Gautam Gambhir's Reply To Ravi Shastri's Suggestion Of Including Three Left-handers In XI

Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir reacted to Ravi Shastri’s suggestion of having three left-handers in the Indian batting order for the Asia Cup 2023 and the ICC World Cup 2023. He said that the theory of having southpaws in the team is completely useless as the team need quality.

Three were a lot of murmurs, talks and suggestions about what team should BCCI pick for the Asia Cup 2023 and ICC World Cup 2023. Many experts and fans gave their opinions about the same but the most highlighted suggestion came from former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri

Ravi Shastri had suggested that India should’ve at least three left-handers in the top seven. He had said that team should persist with Ishan Kishan and apart from him and Ravindra Jadeja there should be another left-hander in the batting order for India.

Gautam Gambhir however, find this thought as useless and said that a good player be it a left-hander or right-hander will play in every condition. He pointed out that if Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul score runs then there’s no need for left-hander. Speaking to Star Sports, he explained:

“It is not important whether he is a left-hander or a right-hander. The debate that is going on that we need three left-handers is a completely useless thought. You look at the quality of the player and not how many left-handers you have. A good player whether a right-hander or left-hander will play well in every condition.

“So if Iyer plays well, or Rahul scores runs then pick them. It’s not necessary to pick left-handers if they are not in form. I don’t think there was any need to even start this left-hander debate. If you wanted left-handers then you have Yashasvi Jaiswal also. You always look at the quality and the form and not the quantity.”

Asia Cup 2023: If Tilak Varma scores runs other batters should take the punt- Gautam Gambhir

Tilak Varma was a surprise selection in the Indian squad for the Asia Cup 2023. The left-hander showed great promise during the T20I series against West Indies and ended up as the leading run-getter for India in the five games.

Gautam Gambhir was asked about his selection and he believes that the left-hander will get chances in the Asia Cup 2023. He also noted that if he performs in the tournament then other batters should be ready to take the punt.

Gautam Gambhir also stated that teams should pick players in form rather than big names. He added that KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer need to score runs to make their case strong. He explained:

“If they have picked Tilak Varma then he should definitely get some games in Asia Cup. If he scores and plays well than some of the other batters then you should take that punt (for World Cup). No one is a frontrunner when you aim to win the World Cup. Form is important, impact is important.

“The ones who are in form should be packed rather than the big names whether it is Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul or anyone. If Tilak Varma or SKY or Ishan Kishan is in better form than them they should be picked. Rohit has said that no one is guaranteed a spot. Iyer and Rahul are returning from injuries but they will need to score runs to get into the World Cup squad.”

India team will be attending a camp at NCA before traveling to Sri Lanka for the Asia Cup 2023, set to begin on 30th August. The Rohit Sharma-led side will open their campaign against Pakistan on 2nd September at Kandy.