"You need a seam bowling all-rounder like Hardik" - Former stumper highlights key requirement in India’s squad for 2027 ODI World Cup

Former India wicketkeeper-batter Deep Dasgupta has stated that the team will require a seam-bowling all-rounder like Hardik Pandya when they play in the 2027 ODI World Cup, which will be hosted in South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.

During his appearance on the KADAK YouTube channel on Saturday, December 13, the 48-year-old said that the Men in Blue currently play with a combination of three fast bowlers and three spinners, but that will need to change to a 4-2 setup favoring seamers during the World Cup.

He added that while having Hardik makes this plan work, the team must also have a backup. With a couple of years in hand, India will need to look for a player who is primarily a batter but can also bowl at least six to seven overs. He said:

“South Africa will be hosting the 2027 World Cup, and the combinations you are playing with right now, or the one with which you won the Champions Trophy, were largely based on three fast bowlers and three spinners, with Hardik available, making it a 4-2 combination. With Hardik, the thing is that if he is fit, then he is a 100 percent certainty. But you also need to have a backup plan where you can play that 4-2 combination, because in South Africa you will need a 4-2 setup, where you need a seam bowling all rounder like Hardik.”

“As I said, you have close to two years in hand, and you have to start working on that. In my opinion, the 4-2 combination will be your first option. When I talk about 4-2, at the very least you need someone who can bat and give you six or seven overs at a minimum. Even if he does not bowl his full ten overs, six or seven are essential, and he must be a batter,” he added.

In recent times, Nitish Kumar Reddy has been used as a seam-bowling all-rounder when Hardik Pandya is unavailable. In the two ODIs he has played so far, Reddy has scored 27 runs but has not picked up any wickets.

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“The opposite profile to Harshit” - Deep Dasgupta on the kind of player needed in India’s squad for the mega event

In the same discussion, Deep Dasgupta noted that India has a solid option in the form of Harshit Rana, who can bowl his full quota of 10 overs and contribute useful runs down the order. The former wicketkeeper-batter added that the team also needs a player with the opposite profile to Harshit, someone whose primary role is batting but who can also bowl a few overs.

He added that the upcoming domestic competition, the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy, might provide an answer to this. He said:

“Basically, what you are seeing now is that you have a good option emerging in Harshit Rana, who can bowl his full ten overs and is also a very handy batter. He can go down the order and give you some very useful runs. So you need one more player like that, someone who can bat at number seven or eight, focus more on batting, and still give you six or seven overs. In simple terms, the opposite profile to Harshit.”

“That is something, in my view, you need to think about. The options you have in front of you right now include the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which I believe will be a very important tournament. From there, you can then think about India selections and the tournaments that follow. But that is one option that definitely needs some serious thought,” he added.

Meanwhile, India won their most recent ODI series against South Africa 2-1.