Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has said that it’s not a compulsion to include left-handed batters in India’s playing XI, saying that players should be selected on their form and performances, not on the basis of left-hand right-hand combination.
The left-hand right-hand combination has been a major talking point recently as former India coach Ravi Shastri suggested that the Men in Blue should try to include three left-handed batters in their playing XI.
Earlier Ravichandran Ashwin had also cited his reservations about Shastri’s suggestion saying that it’s impossible to fit in three left-handers in the top seven.
However, Gambhir has called the debate ‘useless’, while saying that there should be only one merit on which players should be selected in the playing XI, that’s their performances, and their form, nothing else.
Speaking on a show on Star Sports, Shastri said, “There are three other positions where I think two left-handers have to come in. If you have persisted with Ishan Kishan for the last six to eight months, and he’s going to keep wickets, he comes in, in any case. But, get two left-handers. Including Jaddu, there should be three left-handers in the top seven.”
Gambhir however insisted that no matter a certain player bats right-handed or left-handed if he he plays well, he will bat well in every condition. He cited the example of Yashasvi Jaiswal who was left out of India’s scheme of plans for the Asia Cup 2023 and the World Cup, saying that left-handed batters are not the only criteria of selection.
“If he has been picked (Tilak Varma), then of course he should get some matches to play. And if he gets game time and performs better than other batsmen, then you should definitely take him in the squad. Because, as I’ve said earlier, form is important,” said Gambhir.
“This debate about who is a left-hander or a right-hander or whether we need three left-handers is a useless debate. We look at quality, we do not look to see how many left-handers are in the squad. If the batsman is good regardless of whether he is a right-hander or a left-hander, we should see how he performs in every condition and against each bowler,” he added.
“It’s not a compulsion that you have to keep a left-hander in the squad or that you need to have three left-handers in the lineup. I don’t think we need to even start a debate like this. If we are focusing on left-handers, then what about Yashasvi Jaiswal and other left-handers? But you look at quality, don’t you, not quantity,” the former India opener stated further.
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