Exclusive | 'Amid Hardik Pandya absence, Rohit and Kohli can combine to play sixth bowler's role in World Cup': former India stumper Ajay Ratra

The Indian juggernaut continues in the ongoing Cricket World Cup as the Rohit Sharma-led team has been so far unbeaten in the marquee tournament. India, which is the favourite to lift the coveted Trophy, is comfortably placed in the second spot with 10 points. Former India stumper Ajay Ratra spoke to ETV Bharat's Navneet Tapadiya on various aspects related to the Men in Blue in an exclusive interaction, a day before the team takes on defending champions England at Lucknow.

Hyderabad: The Indian team is on a roll in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, which is being played in India. India, who are unbeaten so far, has trounced Australia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and New Zealand so far. The Men in Blue will face defending champions England at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Sunday.

Injured all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who missed the game against New Zealand, is unlikely to play against England as he recovers from his injury. In this scenario, former India wicket-keeper Ajay Ratra feels that skipper Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli, who bowled in the nets before the game against England, can fill in Hardik's shoes and can combine to play the role of the sixth bowler. Hardik Pandya in this World Cup has picked five wickets and scored 11 runs.

"The special aspect of this team is that all the players have performed to the best of their abilities whenever they have got an opportunity and the overall performance of the side has been excellent in all the fields. Due to brilliant fielding, batting, and bowling, the Indian team has been dominant in the competition," 41-year-old Ajay Ratra, who played six Tests and 12 ODIs for India, told ETV Bharat in a special interaction.

"The absence of Hardik Pandya was not felt in the game against New Zealand. Mohammed Shami, who made a comeback in the last match, bowled sharply. The other players are also performing excellently. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul have played responsible knocks. Pacers Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja have played their roles to perfection," added Ajay Ratra.

"If Hardik Pandya is not able to take part in the remaining matches, it will be a big blow for team India as the balance will be affected. Hardik Pandya is used as the sixth bowler and also plays the role of a finisher. In his absence, the team will need to rely on five specialist bowlers and so captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli should bowl to some extent.

"A few years ago, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar would play the role of part-time bowlers. That's why the team did not feel the absence of a specialized sixth bowler. Now Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli had time to practice their bowling and they should chip in accordingly," added Ratra, who played for Haryana in the domestic circuit.

England are languishing at the bottom of the points table at the ninth spot with a solitary win from five games. However, Ratra cautioned the Indian team not to take the Jos Buttler side lightly. "England can pounce like a wounded tiger. The team which performs well on a given day emerges triumphant," quipped Ratra.

However, Ratra, also said that England's morale would be affected due to their loss against minnows Afghanistan.

Ratra spoke on Rohit Sharma's leadership abilities. "Rohit (Sharma) has a lot of experience in the Indian Premier League as a captain. Leading a team in the IPL is not easy because there are several foreign players in the tournament and one has to take all the players along. Rohit Sharma has a very good experience of it," added Ratra.

"Similarly, in the ongoing World Cup, Rohit Sharma is making good decisions as a skipper and making optimum use of his resources. Moreover, the batting is aggressive, hence it has positive results on other players and the overall performance is excellent," noted Ratra, who has 4029 runs from 99 first-class matches.

Ratra, meanwhile, said that India winning the 1983 World Cup under the leadership of Kapil Dev was an unforgettable moment for him. "In 2011, India won the World Cup but for me, the image of Kapil Dev with the World Cup Trophy at the Lords will remain forever in my heart as I was young then," Ratra signed off.