Former Indian player Kris Srikkanth dismissed Shivam Dube and Harshit Rana as pace-bowling all-rounders in the same breath as Hardik Pandya before the 2027 ODI World Cup as well. With Hardik consistently dealing with injuries, Team India continues its search for other seam-bowling all-rounders as back-ups or secondary options in the playing 11 as well, which also includes Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube and Harshit Rana as well.

He said on Star Sports: “Players like Dube and Harshit Rana can’t be called all-rounders. Then I can call myself a great all-rounder if these two are called that. Hardik Pandya is the only genuine all-rounder. Nitish Kumar Reddy is a half all-rounder, who can bat at No.7 and bowl a few overs.”

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Kris Srikkanth also believes veteran batter Virat Kohli holds the key to Team India’s chances of winning the 2027 ODI World Cup. At 37, Kohli remains one of the world’s top-ranked ODI batters and scored two fifties in the recent three-match series in England as well.

“The great thing about Virat Kohli is he knows what he is. The management doesn’t have to tell him anything about how to do things and when to do it. He’s a very committed cricketer. It’s one man because of which RCB has won back-to-back titles and that’s Virat Kohli. It’s his energy that binds the team and takes them through. Likewise, if India has to win the 2027 World Cup, the one man who can do it is Virat Kohli,” said Srikkanth.

“The management and Gambhir constantly keep saying that no one is a certainty. So hopefully if Rohit Sharma continues proving himself and scoring runs, he should start the World Cup. His fiery starts are very important for India. Jaiswal has scored two centuries in his last three ODI innings. And he has scored centuries in all kinds of conditions. That guy is very capable and deserves the first right of refusal as India’s backup batter,” concluded Kris Srikkanth.