IND vs WI: Mohammed Siraj And Prasidh Krishna Should Be Used In West Indies Series, Says Gautam Gambhir

Former Indian player Gautam Gambhir reckoned that Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj should be selected in the limited-overs squad against West Indies.

After a disappointing tour to South Africa, India is scheduled to play three ODI matches and as many T20Is against West Indies.

Reports have suggested that ace Indian bowler Jasprit Bumrah will be rested for the upcoming white-ball series. This would indicate that youngsters like Krishna and Siraj might get an opportunity to play against the Windies.

I would want to persist with Prasidh Krishna: Gautam Gambhir

Krishna played the final ODI match against South Africa in Cape Town and the Karnataka pacer returned with three wickets for 59 runs in 9.5 overs.

Gambhir wants selectors to give both the young bowlers a chance to gain experience and groom them for the future.

However, Gambhir had a different stance on left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav’s return to the Indian side.

Kuldeep hasn’t played a single match for India since his last appearance against Sri Lanka in the T20I series in July. The former Indian opener said that Kuldeep shouldn’t be rushed to the national side and must perform in domestic and IPL tournaments.

“I would want to persist with Prasidh Krishna for sure, irrespective of the conditions. Even Siraj… use these players. If Bumrah is rested for the next series which he should be, then Siraj and Krishna should be used in the West Indies series. And even if they concede a lot of runs, it won’t matter because they need experience. Deepak Chahar should also play. He can be rotated with Thakur,” Gambhir said on Star Sports.

“Not so fast. Because Kuldeep hasn’t been playing cricket that much. He should play domestic cricket, then IPL, then we can think about it. Jadeja and Axar are the options. I would also like to persist with Jayant Yadav. He didn’t perform poorly. He created two opportunities, although both the opportunities were let gone. So Jadeja, Jayant and Chahal can be the three spinners. Axar can be the extra spinner,” he added.

There will be much more depth to the Indian batting after Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja return: Gautam Gambhir

Ravindra Jadeja and white-ball skipper Rohit Sharma missed the South Africa tour because of various injuries. The duo is likely to return for the West Indies series after recovering from their respective injuries.

Gambhir said the Indian batting order will find a good balance after Rohit and Jadeja come back to the team.

“Obviously Jadeja and Rohit will return. KL Rahul will be back in the middle order. Then India will look a much better team. Now, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant will form the top 5 of the batting line-up. Jadeja will take the No.6 spot. There will be much more depth to the Indian team if you see Shardul at No.7,” he said.

India will play the first ODI match against West Indies on February 6 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

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