MUMBAI: Former India coach Ravi Shastri thinks the present crop of batters the country have assembled for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup is sufficient enough to help the team reach the semifinals.
When Shastri was in charge of India at the T20 World Cup last year, the Asian team won just three of its five games and was unable to advance to the tournament's knockout rounds. India took home the trophy at the first T20 World Cup in 2007, but has struggled ever then.
With Suryakumar Yadav's recent ascent and the return of seasoned finisher Dinesh Karthik to the middle-order, India's batting order appears more stable now, over a year after it was last used.
Shastri believes that India's hitters can help the team reach the semifinals this time around, despite the loss of crucial pacer Jasprit Bumrah to injury.
During an event on Wednesday, Shastri said, "I have been a part of the system for the last six to seven years, first as a coach and now I am watching from the outside, and I think this is as excellent a line-up as India has ever had in T20 cricket."
"It makes a tremendous difference with Surya (Yadav) at No. 4, Hardik (Pandya) at No. 5, and Rishabh Pant or Dinesh Karthik at No. 6 because it allows the top order to play the way they are playing," said Rishabh Pant. However, Shastri is somewhat concerned with India's fielding, adding that the squad would need to improve in this area during the competition.
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