3 min readUpdated: Jul 12, 2026 02:04 PM IST
One tactical concern for the Indian team has been the number of left-handers in their top seven. On the days they had Sanju Samson, there was only one right-hander in the top three; otherwise, it became quite one-dimensional with players like Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Shreyas Iyer would be the first right-hander to walk into the crease, followed by another set of left-handers. Irfan Pathan suggested Rajat Patidar and Riyan Parag for inclusion in the side.
“India also needs to bring more right-handers and make them ready. We have a lot of left-handers anyway. If all are left-handers in the top seven, you have to find right-handers and make them ready. I would want to see if Rajat Patidar gets an opportunity going forward. Second, I want to see Riyan Parag. He is also a right-hander, and he also brings bowling. If he does well in domestic and A matches, then you must bring him. He can give you two overs as the sixth bowler,” he said on his YouTube channel.
Pathan also urged that if a change is made and a new player is brought in, he needs an opportunity of five to six games, unlike what happened with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
“I still feel that if there are 5-6 new guys in the team, it is important to give them time. For example, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. He will do well going forward in international cricket, and I have no doubt. He will perform in different pitches as well. He is 15 and will learn. Indian cricket will have to persist with him and be patient.”
“The most important thing is to change the mindset of the players. I am not talking only about international cricket but domestic cricket as well. Wherever there is a camp, everyone wants a flat pitch. Everyone does not want to play a lot of pace and only wants to focus on range hitting. No one wants to work on their skills. This is the mindset. And this is real feedback from real coaches. This mindset will have to change. Coaches and selectors will do their work, but you have a responsibility as players as well. We need to bring about an attitude change in batting,” he said speaking on the kind of pitches used in India.
