"I felt weird that the captain said anybody can bat anywhere" - Madan Lal questions Rohit Sharma's statement

Former Indian all-rounder and World Cup winner Madan Lal isn't impressed with Rohit Sharma's statement about wanting the batting order to be flexible as per the situation.

Just after the squad for the Asia Cup was announced, Indian captain Rohit spoke about the importance of wanting to ensure that the batters are versatile enough to bat in any situation needed.

Here's what he had told the reporters:

"One thing I want in this team is to make sure everyone is okay to bat anywhere. You need flexibility, guys who can step up at any position. No one should say, 'I'm good at this position or I'm good at that position'. You want guys to be able to bat anywhere, that's the message conveyed to every individual. Not now, but over the last three-four years."

However, speaking to Sports Tak, Madan Lal expressed his difference of opinion with Rohit Sharma and explained the importance of stability. He said:

"If you keep shuffling your batting order then no one will gain confidence. Yes, you can definitely change one or two guys depending on the match situation but every player should know their role and what they are required to do in order to score runs in that middle phase.

"This is not T20 where you just go and bat one away and hit your way out. I felt weird that the captain said anybody can bat anywhere."

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India need good performances from No. 4 to No. 8: Madan Lal

Madan Lal feels that India's middle order needs to get strong performances out of their middle order if they are to win the Asia Cup and the World Cup. For this, he reiterated the importance of stability and winning the middle-overs period.

On this, Lal stated:

"You said, you have asked everyone that you can be asked to bat anywhere. I don't agree. Specialist batters should bat in their preferred positions. If India want to win the Asia Cup and World Cup, they need good performances from No. 4 to No. 8. They are the ones who make the game while batting in the middle overs."

Questions on India's middle order are likely to increase, with KL Rahul unavailable for the first two matches of the Asia Cup.