"You have to draw the line somewhere" - Deep Dasgupta unhappy with Team India's call for Devdutt Padikkal, Prithvi Shaw

Deep Dasgupta isn't impressed with the Indian team management's calls to bring in Prithvi Shaw or Devdutt Padikkal from Sri Lanka as Shubman Gill's replacement for the upcoming five-Test series against England. Despite Gill's injury, India still have several opening options available in their 24-man Test squad.

The former wicketkeeper-batsman said the team would have to "draw the line somewhere" because calling for more players from outside will only promote insecurity within the team. He added that if Padikkal or Shaw's services were this important, they would have been part of the original squad for the England series.

Deep Dasgupta said on his YouTube channel:

"Unfortunately, Shubman Gill is injured and most probably he's out of the whole series. Already, you have five players present there who have opened before -Rohit, Mayank, KL Rahul, Hanuma Vihari and Abhimanyu Easwaran. Still, you are talking about Prithvi Shaw or Paddikal, which is fine, both are good players in fine form. But then they should have been a part of the plan before."

Deep Dasgupta added:

"Yes, you can play KL Rahul and Hanuma Vihari in the middle-order but there's this whole insecurity issue. Having a big 24-man squad is understandable in today's times but you have to draw the line somewhere; that these are the 15-16 players that will play, if we win, we win; if we lose, we lose."

Apart from Rohit Sharma, India have Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Hanuma Vihari, and Abhimanyu Easwaran (from the reserve squad) as the four options who either play as openers or have done the job previously.

Go well @PrithviShaw 👊🏻😎 #SLvIND #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/7QNXYCQujS

— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) July 5, 2021

However, media reports suggest that the Indian team management is looking at Rahul and Vihari as middle-order covers for Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara. Easwaran, meanwhile, hasn't been able to put his case forward in the nets or in practice games.

Not a great idea to have 24 people in the squad: Deep Dasgupta

Deep Dasgupta

Deep Dasgupta also explained how having a large squad works against the team's goals. He said that more substitutes for each player not only makes the incumbents insecure but also increases the propensity of captains and management to chop and change the team after every few games.

Deep Dasgupta explained:

"There used to be a squad of 15 which has now increased to 24 - which means that there are two substitutes for every player. The problem with this is that the more options you have, the more your mind goes toward making changes. A player has an off game and we see two substitutes and feel like making a change. So, suddenly the team changes increase."

The former Indian wicket-keeper further elaborated on the matter:

"We have all seen it, the more consistent the team, the more secure are the players and the better they perform. Whereas when there are so many options, insecurity creeps in, and you want to change the team after every one or two Tests. So, I am not too sure whether it's a great idea of having 24 people in the squad."

The first Test of the 5-match series is slated to begin on August 4 at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.

Birthday boy all smiles 😊😃Happy Birthday Devdutt Padilkkal 🎂 #TeamIndia 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/uSxnHY2wSk

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 7, 2021