Sanjay Bangar said that a left-arm seamer hasn’t been picked in India’s 2023 World Cup squad because none of them can compete with the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami. However, the selectors picked a 15-member Indian squad for the quadrennial event on Tuesday, September 5 which includes three specialist pacers, with Shardul Thakur and Hardik Pandya as additional seam-bowling all-rounders as well.
During a discussion on Star Sports, Bangar said: “The team has done their preparation with a combination and a plan for the last two years. So you need to stick with those plans. Yes, there is a wishlist that you have a fast bowler like that, but will that fast bowler be able to compete with Siraj or Shami, because these two players have that quality?”
While giving VVS Laxman’s example, the former Indian all-rounder stated that innumerable good players have lost out on a chance to feature in the mega event. Bangar also shared that the ODI World Cup comes only once in four years and players need to play their best cricket to get selected.
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He said: “Unfortunately, many good players miss out on the World Cup. I remember VVS Laxman was in good form in 2003 but he didn’t get a place because of the team combination.”
Meanwhile, Piyush Chawla added that Arshdeep Singh is India’s best left-arm seamer. However, he further added that his numbers pale in comparison to those of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Mohammed Shami as well.
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“If we don’t have the left-arm option, if we check the entire lot, Arshdeep seems to be the best option. However, if you compare Arshdeep with the three frontline fast bowlers we have picked, these three have a great track record and have a lot of experience. You want to go with your most experienced bowlers to a tournament like the World Cup because when the pressure situation comes, it is not that easy to cope with it. So that is why I feel Arshdeep is not there here and the three extremely experienced frontline seamers are there,” he concluded.
