'Unsettled Playing 11': Shoaib Akhtar Does Brutal Assessment Of India's ODI World Cup Squad

After Team India's squad for the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023 was announced, it has attracted many reactions from fans and former cricketers alike. Shoaib Akhtar, former Pakistan paceman, is no different. Akhtar put out his thoughts on India's World Cup squad, saying that Yuzvendra Chahal's absence is beyond his understanding. Kuldeep Yadav is the lone wrist spinner in the India's 15-man squad. Kuldeep has been India's better wrist spinner in the last one year and with just one spot left for a wrist spinner in the squad, Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid opted for Kuldeep. 

Akhtar also pointed to lack of a quality left-arm pacer in the Indian squad, which could have been a game-changer against Pakistan. 

Here's the #TeamIndia squad for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 _#CWC23 pic.twitter.com/EX7Njg2Tcv — BCCI (@BCCI) September 5, 2023

Speaking exclusively during a virtual press conference ahead of the Greatest Rivalry on Star Sports, official broadcaster of the Asia Cup and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, Shoaib said. “How they have not selected Chahal is beyond me. And again, I think Arshdeep needed to be in the squad because under pressure, when you are playing against someone like Pakistan, then you need that left-handed seamer. But the problem with the Indian team is that when they get out for 150 or 200, it’s not the batsmen but the bowlers who will have to perform. How long will you stretch your batting line-up? If the first five batsmen couldn’t do anything, then what will the No. 7 or No. 8 do? So, I literally believe that you’re playing with one bowler less.

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Akhtar said that he has not felt that India have been able to find the perfect XI in the last two years. He said that the Indian squad looks unsettled and that some of the players don't even know where they will bat at. “Coming back to India, I don’t know why I have this feeling that India could not pick its final eleven for the past two years? I don’t feel the team is settled because now you all have injuries, three or four people have been replaced and your squad seems unsettled. It’s a strange thing for me that the squad doesn’t seem settled. We still don’t know who are the four main batsmen and who will bat at No.5, will Virat bat at No. 3 or 4?"