'Who will you drop?': Ashwin reacts to Ravi Shastri's idea of playing three-left-handers

The Asia Cup 2023 will be India's last tournament before the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. India will commence its quest against its archrival Pakistan on September 2, 2023, and will then face Nepal in a Group match. To recover from the T20I series loss to the West Indies, the team will need to exercise greater caution. The squad for the Indian team has not yet been revealed, and according to reports, it will be announced anytime this week.

3 things you need to know 

• India suffered a 3-2 T20I series loss to the West Indies.
• To prepare Asian nations for the ODI World Cup, the 2023 Asia Cup will feature the ODI competition.
• In preparation for the Asia Cup, the Indian squad is currently playing Ireland in a T20I series and leads by 1-0 

Also Read: 'He is a proven player': Harbhajan picks his squad for Asia Cup, snubs 2 big-name players

R Ashwin believes Ravi Shastri’s suggestion for the batting line-up is unrealistic

When discussing Ravi Shastri's proposed batting lineup plan, Ravichandran Ashwin had a few concerns. Shastri, India's former head coach, argued that the team should play three left-handed batsmen in the top seven spots. Shastri suggested Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, and Ravindra Jadeja for these positions during an interview on Star Sports. Ashwin countered by pointing out the proposal's unrealistic nature, arguing that the team's current makeup would make such a request impossible to fulfil.

Talking on his YouTube channel, the Indian bowler said:

"He [Ravi Shastri] brought up another point. He said we should have at least three left-handers in the top 7. Where will you bring in three left-handers? I am talking about the top 7. Hardik is a fix, and Jadeja is a fix. We have a left-hander among them,"

R Ashwin makes a huge statement on the top 3 openers for India 

India is in a difficult scenario as KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer recuperate from their injuries. While both Rahul and Iyer are working hard to get back in shape for the upcoming event, there are concerns that Rishabh Pant, India's key middle-order batsman, will be unlikely to compete in the ICC ODI World Cup. In the process of picking India's best eleven, Ravi Shastri highlighted this issue and voiced worries about Rahul's ability to recover fully before the Asia Cup in 2023.

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Ravichandran Ashwin responded to Shastri's words by sharing his thoughts on the subject. He said that if Rahul can restore his fitness, the highly skilled Bengaluru player should be the first pick for a berth in the team's roster.

"Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli are all fixed in the top 3. We don’t have a left-hander there. If KL Rahul is fit, he will be the keeper batter, and he is also a fix. If Shreyas is fit, he is also a fix,”

India is set to face Ireland in the second T20I match of the series on Sunday. The Blues currently lead the series by 1-0 after beating the hosts by 2 runs when the match was decided through the DLS method because rain interrupted the play. However, the Asia Cup starts in almost 10 days, and the Team India management can announce the squad anytime soon.