"It's great if we have two all-rounders"- Wasim Jaffer wants Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja fully fit for World Cup 2023

Former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer has said that Team India needs a couple of fit all-rounders to get the job done in next year’s ODI World Cup. He wants the likes of Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja to be fully fit for the ICC’s marquee event, set to be played in India.

In an interview with CricTracker, he said that having multiple bowling options played a crucial role when India won the 2011 World Cup.

“I think the key areas for India to look at before the 2023 World Cup would be to get an all-rounder. I feel it’s very important for Hardik Pandya to be fit to bowl. Having Ravindra Jadeja along with him will provide a lot of balance.

"It’s great if we have two allrounders. In the 2011 World Cup, we had plenty of options. Suresh Raina, Virender Sehwag, were able to contribute with the ball. Yuvraj Singh, in particular, contributed a lot to the bowling department besides his batting heroics.”

Jaffer further added that India need depth in their batting department. He feels it would be amazing if India could bat down to No. 8 or 9. He feels that the likes of Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur can strengthen the batting order.

“We also need depth in our batting department. If we bat up to 8 or 9, it would be vital. For example, Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur can come in. Allrounders will bring in a lot of depth. That will make the Indian team very strong."

The Men in Blue had won their second 50-over World title after 28 years at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, in 2011. They will be looking to repeat the historic feat as India is set to host cricket's marquee event after a gap of 12 years.

India suffered heart-breaking defeats in the semi-finals of the 2015 and 2019 World Cups to Australia and New Zealand, respectively.

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“India won’t repeat the same mistake in T20 World Cup”- Wasim Jaffer

Wasim Jaffer also spoke about India’s prospects in the upcoming T20 World Cup. He said that Team India have learned their lesson after failing badly in the last edition of the global event.

He feels that the team now possesses the much-needed intent for a turnaround in the upcoming edition of the T20 event in Australia later this year.

“We have seen a much-improved batting after Pakistan and New Zealand game even though it was against lesser-important oppositions. But I have witnessed the intent, and I don’t think the players will repeat the mistake again."

With just a few months left ahead of the T20 mega event, Team India are looking to create a strong bench strength. The BCCI is trying to create a pool of players who can be like-to-like replacements heading into the tournament.

Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid want to leave no stone unturned in their preparations. This includes proper workload management.