IND vs WI: India Need To Finalise Their Batting Lineup Ahead of World Cup 2023: Ajit Agarkar

Former Indian pacer Ajit Agarkar has said that India needs to finalise and add some firepower in the batting lineup ahead of the 2023 World Cup. India will be hosting the 2023 World Cup. That will be their big chance to end their drought of not winning an ICC title for a long time. The last ICC title India won was the 2013 Champions Trophy under MS Dhoni. 

Talking to Star Sports, Ajit Agarkar spoke about his concerns ahead of India’s white-ball series against West Indies. They host the Men from the Caribbean for a three-match ODI series in Ahmedabad followed by a three-match T20I series in Kolkata. India’s preparations for the 2023 World Cup starts with the ODI series against the Windies. 

“The positions need to be cemented whichever it is or wherever they are going to bat whether Rahul is going to come in the middle then he has to stay in the middle for me over the course of the next year and a half till we approach that World Cup,” Agarkar said on Star Sports.

Regarding India’s middle order which has not been consistent in recent times, Ajit Agarkar said that there needs to be clarity around which players will be batting in the middle order. He said that there are some gaps in the lineup and some firepower is required within the line-up to fill those gaps. 

There Needs To Be Clarity In The Middle-Order: Ajit Agarkar

“So, that clarity has to be there because at the moment there are some gaps from that 4, 5 and 6 which will need some firepower in those positions.”

Rohit Sharma returns as the skipper of the white-ball side after missing staying out of the Test and white-ball series against South Africa. While India lost the Test series 2-1, they were whitewashed in the ODI series under the leadership of KL Rahul.  Rohit confirmed that Ishan Kishan will open with him in the first ODI in the pre-match press conference. 

“Mayank Agarwal has still not finished with quarantine. Ishan Kishan is the only option left. So, he will open,” Rohit said.

Also Read: IND vs WI: There’s Not Much We Need To Change – Indian Captain Rohit Sharma