'I'll pick Tilak Varma instead of Suryakumar Yadav in India's ODI World Cup': Ex-India batter's snubs veteran MI star for young gun

In a recent interview with ESPNcricinfo, former Indian cricket star Wasim Jaffer voiced his support for emerging player Tilak Varma to be included in India's ODI World Cup 2023 squad.

SportsTak

• Mon • 04 Sep 2023

Highlights:

Wasim Jaffer voiced his support for emerging player Tilak Varma to be included in India's ODI World Cup 2023 squad.Jaffer reckons that Prasidh Krishna and Suryakumar Yadav might not find a place in India's World Cup squad.Jaffer remained optimistic about India's overall readiness for the global tournament.

In a recent interview with ESPNcricinfo, former Indian cricket star Wasim Jaffer voiced his support for emerging player Tilak Varma to be included in India's ODI World Cup 2023 squad. According to Jaffer, Suryakumar Yadav, who currently holds a spot, has failed to impress in his recent ODI outings.

Discussing India's upcoming World Cup lineup, Jaffer revealed that the squad is likely to resemble the current team playing in the Asia Cup 2023. However, he recommended two notable changes: Prasidh Krishna and Suryakumar Yadav might not find a place in the World Cup team if it were up to him.

"I will probably take out Prasidh Krishna and it would be a tough choice between Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav. I'll pick Tilak Varma even though he has not played ODI cricket at all for India. But looking at how he bats and plays his cricket, I think he is more suited to one-day cricket. Suryakumar does have a lot of promise and he has not cracked the code of ODI cricket despite getting a lot of opportunities," Jaffer said.

While Jaffer acknowledged that there are areas of concern within the Indian team, he remained optimistic about their overall readiness for the global tournament.

"Only concern was Jasprit Bumrah if he could bowl 10 overs, which we did not get to see. But I am hoping he is alright, because he played well in Ireland. KL Rahul has not played yet, but I am hoping once he passes the fitness test, he will be fine. Whether he gets to play or not we will see," said the former India batter.

With India set to play Nepal in the Asia Cup on Monday, September 4, cricket enthusiasts and analysts will be keenly watching how the team performs. Jaffer's statements have added fuel to ongoing discussions about team selection, putting a spotlight on player performances as India prepares for the ODI World Cup 2023.