Bengaluru: Former India captain Kapil Dev does not like the debate about who should bat at No. 4 in India’s World Cup team, and said the batting slots should be decided according to match situation.
“There is a lot of talk about that No. 4 slot. When we were playing, we fixed numbers, but nowadays, there are no numbers. All the players play at any number, and they are all good. Players should play like a team. Don’t fix numbers. Play according to the situation,” Kapil said Tuesday.
Kapil also said Rishabh Pant has a very long way to go, though he has the ability. “(MS) Dhoni has set the standard very high. Yes, Pant has the ability but he has a long way to go,” the 1983 World Cup-winning captain said.
He also picked Mahendra Singh Dhoni as his favourite all-rounder among current cricketers. “Are only bowling all-rounders, and fast bowling all-rounders considered all-rounders? I would consider wicket-keepers also. For me, Dhoni comes in very high,” he said.
Kapil further said he considers Ravichandran Ashwin as a good all-rounder in Test cricket. He said Ravindra Jadeja can also become a good all-rounder, considering he had scored two triple tons in first class cricket.
“If Jadeja puts his head to it, he can become a very good all-rounder,” Kapil said, adding that Ben Stokes was a cut above the rest as an all-rounder.
The former India opener and national selector Kris Srikkanth said he would select a match-winner like Rishabh Pant for the World Cup. “If I am the captain or chairman of selectors, I would go for a match-winner. A guy who can win matches from no-win situations. Dhoni will be the wicket-keeper, Rishabh Pant is the guy who almost won a Test match for us in England from an amazing no-win situation,” he recalled.