Jadeja, Akshar and Ashwin aren’t the wicket-takers India are looking for in T20 World Cup 2022- Aakash Chopra

Chopra shared his picks for the spinners in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.

Former India opener Aakash Chopra has opined on India’s blowing combination for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022. The last few days have seen several former cricketers coming up with their opinions.

Many questioned the omission of seasoned pacer Mohammad Shami while the absence of Kuldeep Yadav raised a few eyebrows as well.

Given that many have opined that the squad for T20 World Cup 2022 will be similar to the one for the Asia Cup, Aakash Chopra opined on the same, with particular focus on the spin department. The Asia Cup squad has the classic duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, along with Ravi Bishnoi and Yuzvendra Chahal.

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He pointed out that the last time India played in UAE was in the T20 World Cup 2021, Chahal was not in the Indian squad and India failed to make it to the knockout stages.

“Chahal’s name should’ve been in the last year’s T20 World Cup squad, but it wasn’t. You all were surprised and so was I. Rather, it was shocking for me. Following the exit before the knockouts, it was clear that playing Yuzi in the T20s is a must. He has taken 16 wickets in 13 games for India and averages 18.6; that means he’s very good,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

“And in IPL, he has 27 wickets from 17 games, including a hat-trick that he had taken earlier this year. So, a genuine wicket-taker that India has, it’s Yuzi Chahal. When you play spinners, they have got a couple of roles – first, to be economical, if your fast bowlers are taking wickets. Second, if the pacers aren’t good wicket-takers, then you would want your spinners to control the middle overs and pick up wickets. And that spinner is Chahal,” he added.

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Chopra also mentioned that he will pick Kuldeep Yadav over Ravi Bishnoi as he was a wicket-taking option.

“Kuldeep has played just 2 games since last year’s T20 World Cup and picked up 3 wickets. But in IPL, he scalped 21 wickets in 14 matches. If you are searching for a wicket-taking bowler, you must go for a bowler with variations. If there’s a race between Ravi Bishnoi and Kuldeep, I’ll be titled towards the Chinaman bowler,” he added.

Chopra concluded by saying, “If India is looking for wicket-takers, then Jadeja, Axar, and Ashwin aren’t the players. It’s Yuzi, Kuldeep, and Bishnoi who can get you wickets."