“He is ready for the World Cup” - Mohammad Kaif names batter who can excel in the middle order for India

Former India batter Mohammad Kaif reckons that Sanju Samson is ready for the 2023 World Cup and could make an impact at No. 4 or No. 5 if given a chance.

Team India are uncertain of their middle order for the ICC event due to multiple injury issues. KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer have been out of action for a few months, while Rishabh Pant is set to miss the World Cup.

In the absence of regular names, the Indian think tank has given a number of chances to Suryakumar Yadav, but the T20I star has failed to grab his opportunities.

According to Kaif, Samson is good enough to occupy one of the middle-order slots at the ODI World Cup.

"I am massively impressed by Samson. He played an impactful knock, whether at four or five, he has done it in the past," the former cricketer was quoted as saying by PTI during the launch of Amrit Mathur's book 'Pitchside' on Wednesday, August 2.

Kaif also disagreed with the idea of sending either Ishan Kishan or Axar Patel in the middle order.

"Sending Kishan or Axar Patel in the middle-order is not a great idea. You need someone who can play left-arm spin, leg spin and Samson can do that. His knock in the third ODI came under pressure and he is ready for the World Cup,” the 42-year-old commented.

While Axar batted at No. 4 in the second ODI against West Indies and was dismissed cheaply, Samson came in at the same position in the last match and scored 51 off 41.

---

Ashwin backed Axar at No. 4

While Kaif does not like the idea of all-rounder Axar batting at No. 4 in ODI cricket, Team India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has a different view.

Speaking on his YouTube channel recently, he backed the Indian management’s decision to promote Axar in the batting order during the West Indies ODIs.

“Some of them asked why Axar Patel batted at No. 4. Where else will he bat? Shreyas Iyer will walk into the No. 4 spot when fit. We need a left-hander since Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill will be opening the batting. If we play on slightly spinning wickets and if Axar bats a No. 4, we can extend our batting and play an extra bowler like Shardul [Thakur]," he opined.

“We don’t know what the team management is thinking. Therefore, we can’t criticize them, saying their thought process is wrong,” Ashwin added.

Having clinched the one-day series 2-1, India will meet West Indies in five T20Is from August 3 to 13.