The much-awaited ICC 2019 World Cup In England and Wales is looming ahead with each passing day. Meanwhile, the Indian National Cricket Team has more or less made their backups for all the position, but there is one spot which will keep the Indian management thinking. However, that one position is pace-bowling all-rounder which is currently occupied by Hardik Pandya.
The conditions in England during May and June will prefer much of pace and swing much to the relief of the fast bowlers. Teams like England and New Zealand have a plethora of pace-bowling all-rounders. This is an area in where India is lagging which can make a difference with the other leading nations.
Pandya’s back up a much important area of concern
Virat Kohli’s men had some terrific season in white ball cricket in 2018 and had won many games. It also includes Asia Cup tournament under the leadership of Rohit Sharma. However, it is a bit disappointing that India didn’t provide enough efforts in identifying and grooming back-ups for the crucial pace-bowling all-rounder slot. In case if there is some injury from Pandya, there is no one similar to that of Pandya’s calibre to fill the position.
With few months in hand, the selectors should have looked into this matter while selecting the squad for upcoming Australia and New Zealand ODI series. With the likes of Shivam Dubey and Vijay Shankar, India still has an option to utilize the position. Dubey is an attacking left-handed batsman who has earned high praise from the legendary Sunil Gavaskar. He bowls right-handed and has few five-wicket hauls in the domestic circuit. He was also in the radar of the most of the IPL franchises during the recently-concluded IPL auction.
On the other hand, Vijay Shankar is another all-rounder Indian selectors should look for. Meanwhile, he has already played some international matches in the Nidahas Trophy but has failed to impress with both bat and ball. He should not be judged on his failures and should be given further chances in limited-overs formats to get his confidence back.