Brushing aside suggestions of including a second wicketkeeper in the 15-member World Cup squad, former Indian captain Ajit Wadekar said the team cannot afford to have two stumpers for the mega event.
"We cannot afford to have two keepers in our World Cup squad. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is enough. If the other keeper is included, he would just be a passenger," he said.
"As far as Dinesh Karthick's inclusion as a batsman is concerned, we have a lot of pure batsmen and if required we also have Rahul Dravid who can perform keeping duties," said Wadekar, the first Indian skipper to achieve series victories in West Indies and England in 1971.
Dwelling on the batting department, particularly the openers, Wadekar said that seeing past performances and the stature of the event, Virender Sehwag should be a part of the squad.
"Sehwag should be there among the three openers selected for the World Cup," said Wadekar, who was the manager of the Indian cricket team in 1990s.
"Looking at his past performances and prowess, especially in the shorter version of the game, he should be included and the upcoming one-day series against Sri Lanka is an ideal opportunity for him to get back among the runs," he said.
{{/usCountry}}"Looking at his past performances and prowess, especially in the shorter version of the game, he should be included and the upcoming one-day series against Sri Lanka is an ideal opportunity for him to get back among the runs," he said.
{{/usCountry}}With pitches being relaid in the West Indies, two spinners will be sufficient for India to make a balanced bowling attack, Wadekar pointed out.
"Two spinners in the form of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh will be sufficient for the World Cup. We already have four medium pacers and it would be the right composition."