Wasim Jaffer picks his Indian squad for World Cup 2023; wants Shikhar Dhawan to be included

Wasim Jaffer has picked his preferred Indian squad for the ODI World Cup to be played at home later this year. The former Indian batter chose Shikhar Dhawan as the backup opener in his 15-member squad.

The Men in Blue will lock horns with the West Indies in a three-match ODI series, with the first game to be played in Bridgetown, Barbados, on Thursday, July 27. Dhawan, who hasn't played a game for India since December 2022, is not a part of the 17-member squad picked for the series.

During a discussion on JioCinema, Jaffer was asked to pick his Indian squad for World Cup 2023. He chose Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Shikhar Dhawan as his three openers, elaborating:

"My three openers will be Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Shikhar Dhawan. Even though Shikhar Dhawan is not going to be picked, I will keep him as the backup opener. Even if he doesn't play at the start, I am okay with that."

While naming an expected middle order, the former Indian opener picked three spinners in his preferred playing XI, saying:

"After that, Virat Kohli at No. 3 obviously. Shreyas Iyer at No. 4, KL Rahul at No. 5 and Hardik Pandya at No. 6. Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav will be my three spinners in the XI."

Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav are part of India's squad for the West Indies series. Yuzvendra Chahal is the fourth spin-bowling option in the squad.

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"Even if he doesn't bowl 10 overs and bowls seven-eight overs, it's enough for me" - Wasim Jaffer on Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya lends much-needed balance to the Indian lineup.

While naming Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj as his two specialist seamers in the XI, Wasim Jaffer pointed out that it will be crucial that Hardik Pandya is fit enough to bowl a decent number of overs, stating:

"In my XI, I will have Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj/Mohammad Shami. I will play two seamers - Bumrah and Siraj. For me, it is very important that Hardik Pandya bowls because the World Cup is in India. Even if he doesn't bowl 10 overs and bowls seven-eight overs, it's enough for me."

The cricketer-turned-commentator concluded by choosing Shardul Thakur and Sanju Samson as his other backup players:

"If he bowls, I will definitely try to play three spinners and I will definitely play both Axar and Jadeja because they are all-rounders. My third spinner will obviously be Kuldeep. My fourth seamer will be Shardul Thakur. Sanju Samson will be my backup keeper because I have already picked Shikhar as my third opener."

Wasim Jaffer's preferred Indian World Cup: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammad Shami, Sanju Samson, Shardul Thakur