India couldn’t finalise their XI for 2 years, everything is so unsettled

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With the World Cup just around the corner, former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has expressed concerns about India's middle-order stability and their selection of seam bowlers. Despite India's captain, Rohit Sharma, and chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, asserting that they have assembled the best team available and that the 15-man squad is capable of winning the World Cup, Shoaib Akhtar remains skeptical. According to him, India has not achieved a settled squad in recent years, both in terms of batting and bowling.

Shoaib Akhtar raised questions during a virtual press conference organized by Star Sports ahead of The Greatest Rivalry. He stated, "I don't know why I have this feeling that India could not finalize its playing eleven for the past two years. I don't feel the team is settled because now you have injuries, with three or four players being replaced, and your squad appears unsettled. It's strange to me that the squad doesn't seem settled. We still don't know who the four main batsmen are, and there's uncertainty about the batting order, whether Virat will bat at No. 3 or 4."
Akhtar also criticized India's World Cup squad selection, particularly the omission of leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh. He said, "How they have not selected Chahal is beyond me. And again, I think Arshdeep needed to be in the squad because under pressure, especially when facing Pakistan, you need a left-handed seamer. But the issue with the Indian team is that when they are bowled out for 150 or 200, it's not the batsmen but the bowlers who will have to perform. How long can you rely on your batting lineup? If the top five batsmen fail, what can No. 7 or No. 8 do? I genuinely believe that India is playing with one bowler less."

Despite these concerns, Shoaib Akhtar expressed his support for India's star players, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. He emphasized the need for consistent performance, saying, "I'm all for Rohit. I'm all for Virat Kohli. I'm all for all those players, but they have to perform every day because they carry big names. They must lead and take command to ensure they don't leave it to the youngsters. Rohit and Virat Kohli are massive names, so they must deliver. In summary, the bowling squad looks unsettled, and so does the batting lineup."
Shoaib Akhtar had praise reserved for Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya, citing their impressive performances. He lauded Ishan Kishan's versatility and Hardik Pandya's all-round abilities, suggesting that their contributions could elevate India's cricket to new heights.

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Shoaib, in fact, said neither India's batting nor India's bowling have been settled for the last two years. Shoaib Akhtar India still don't have clarity about their middle-order and choice of seamers. “I don't know why I have this feeling that India could not pick its final eleven for the past two years