‘I would love to see..’ – Matthew Hayden picks India’s squad for upcoming World Cup 2023

The unique edition of the ODI World Cup, which will be entirely hosted by India for the first time, has cricket fans waiting with bated breath. At the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 5, the reigning champions England and New Zealand will kick off the 10-team competition.

Teams are occupied with the last preparations for the major competition. On how teams should line up for the tournament, fans and experts are weighing in. In a similar vein, Australian legend Matthew Hayden offered his opinions on the 15-man Indian team’s makeup as they strive to win the World Cup for a third time.

The former Australian opener, who is also a two-time World Cup champion, forecasted India’s lineup for the forthcoming competition, and it’s noteworthy to note that he omitted wrist spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav.

Kuldeep was selected following an outstanding three-match ODI series in the Caribbean, but Chahal was passed over for the selection for the Asia Cup, which comes before the World Cup. Both wrist spinners were absent from Hayden’s predicated World Cup team. The only spinners chosen were the all-arounders Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja.

“The job I hate the most is selecting any squad for the tournament. In the Indian context, I would love to see Sanju Samson in the squad. Also, India needs more all-rounders than batters so Axar Patel will be a better choice than Tilak Verma,” Hayden said speaking on Star Sports.

Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, and KL Rahul were the three wicketkeepers that Hayden kept in the lineup.  As designated specialist batters, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, and Suryakumar Yadav were chosen. The 15-man squad’s pacers included Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and Shardul Thakur.

The seam-bowling all-rounder was announced to be ODI vice-captain Hardik Pandya. The ‘Men in Blue’ will be beginning their World Cup 2023 campaign against five-time World Champions, Australia in Chennai.

Matthew Hayden’s picks for India’s 15-member squad for World Cup 2023 

Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Ishan Kishan and Axar Patel.