Asia Cup 2018: Ravindra Jadeja Will Give India the Option of Playing a Proper Bowler at No 7 Says Harsha Bhogle

Popular commentator and known as the face of India cricket Harsha Bhogle stated that the inclusion of Ravindra Jadeja in the playing XI on a permanent basis will definitely help the team in getting their combination right. Bhogle feels the balance of the Indian team will be better if Ravindra Jadeja is part of the playing XI. He agreed that the pitches for the World Cup might not be the same which is on display in the Asia Cup. Bhogle feels that if Jadeja can establish himself as a batsman in the No 7 position it will be great for India as the ICC World Cup approaches near.

He was very good on this surface. There is no guarantee he will get these kind of surfaces if he goes to England in the 2019 World Cup.  But what he does is because he can bat and field really well, he is giving you more than 10 overs 4/49 today. He always gives you 10 in the field. If he can establish himself as a batsman in No 7, that will be great for India.

Harsha Bhogle feels Ravindra Jadeja must establish himself as a No 7 batsman

“Today India is completely reliant on Hardik Pandya. No Pandya there is Bhuvneshwar Kumar at No 7. You are really struggling. Some of the pitches in England might be trying which might tempt India to play both Jadhav and Jadeja. I may not need to play Hardik. I have got an option at 7. So you can play 3 spinners and 2 pacers and vice versa

If you get one of them batting at 7 it is a huge advantage. Some days you might have Hardik at 7 and someday you will have Jadeja at 7,” Harsha Bhogle said. He further added that there is no need of playing Kedar Jadhav if Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja is in the Playing XI. However, Simon Doull who was present with Harsha Bhogle during an interview with Cricbuzz which was anchored by Gaurav Kapoor said that India will adopt a conservative approach and will never select an extra bowler,” Harsha Bhogle said during the interaction with Cricbuzz.

In that case, both Harsha Bhogle and Simon Doull felt that one of the spinners from Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav should be dropped. However both were of the opinion that Kuldeep Yadav is a better option and in that case, Chahal might face the axe.  The duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzendra Chahal has done quite brilliantly for India in the recent past. They have bagged crucial wickets which have helped India emerge as one of the finest limited overs team in the world. It was largely due to their bowling efforts that the Men in Blue managed to register a 5-1 series victory in the ODI series. \

Hence the team management might not be looking to drop the wrist spinners. If Jadeja performs well for the next few matches then it will be difficult for Hardik Pandya to return to the Playing XI directly. Jadeja will surely look to give him some competition and be in the fringes of national selection for the 2019 World Cup.