"You don't want your tail to start so early" - Ravichandran Ashwin on Kuldeep Yadav batting at No. 8 

Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recently emphasised the importance of having depth in the Men in Blue's batting order in white-ball cricket on the road to the upcoming 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.

Ashwin opined that India need someone like Shardul Thakur at No. 8, considering his ability to chip in with a valuable cameo. However, he noted that Kuldeep Yadav could also have to bat at that position depending on the playing XI.

Speaking about India's conundrum ahead of the World Cup, here's what he said on his YouTube channel:

"You don't want your tail to start so early, and that's why you need someone like Shardul Thakur to come and smash a few balls coming in at No. 8. But you should play your best batters and bowlers to win a match. At the same time, if you needed 36 to win from 30 balls when you are six down, you should have the ability to close down such games as well."

"So, that is the conundrum that India will go into ahead of the World Cup. If they play Kuldeep and Chahal together, then it gets to a situation where Kuldeep has to bat at No. 8."

Ashwin also spoke about the reunion of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. He mentioned that the bowling combination could prove to be handy for India by highlighting the duo's past performances, adding:

"One happy thing from that first T20I was the resurgence of Kuldeep and Chahal's combination. After a long time, Kuldeep and Chahal came together as a bowling combination. Both of them are bestest of friends. They are really close. One takes the ball away from right-handers, and the other brings it back in. Both of them have variety with their googlies. As a combination, they did really well before the 2019 World Cup."

Kuldeep appears to be ahead in the pecking order as compared to Chahal, as he got the nod over the leg spinner during the recently concluded three-match ODI series against West Indies. It remains to be seen if India will consider playing both of them together in the World Cup.

---

"Has been our go-to batter at No. 4" - Ravichandran Ashwin on Shreyas Iyer

In the aforementioned video, Ravichandran Ashwin stated that Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli seem to be India's top three for the upcoming World Cup.

Ashwin suggested that Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul could also be automatic choices for the middle-order positions, considering their impressive records in the 50-over format. He said:

"Rohit, Gill, and Virat are locked in the top three. Shreyas and KL Rahul will be our No. 4 and No. 5. Shreyas has been our go-to batter at No. 4 and he has batted outstandingly well for India in ODI cricket. KL Rahul has been in scintillating touch at No. 5 for Team India in ODIs."

Notably, Iyer and Rahul are currently recovering from their respective injuries. The Indian team management will want the two batters to make their comeback soon as they look to identify their best combination for the ICC event.