Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has backed Yuzvendra Chahal to make a comeback to the Indian team. Chahal has been out of favor for quite some time now with India preferring Ravi Bishnoi as the leg-spinner.
Chahal has the most wickets for an Indian in T20s with 336 wickets in 390 matches and has been one of the best white-ball bowlers in recent times. Unfortunately, he has missed out on several ICC events after the 2019 World Cup.
He was not part of the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cup and was not named in the Indian squad for the 2023 World Cup as well.
Chahal's last outing for India came on the West Indies tour last year. Harbhajan Singh stated that Chahal should be part of India’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign which will be played in the West Indies and USA.
“I would keep Yuzvendra Chahal ahead (for the first slot among spinners). He is being ignored; I don’t know why. I don’t think he knows as well. But even today, I don’t think there is a better leg-spinner in the country. And I don’t think there is a braver spinner than him. He has a very sharp mind. The second spinner for me would be Ravindra Jadeja.
You need to have an off-spinner in Washington Sundar as well. Now, what selectors think, what the management thinks, is a different thing,” Harbhajan said during a chat on the sidelines of the ILT20 in the UAE.
Harbhajan was also asked about the bowling combination that India should go within the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA.
“Pitches will be pretty similar, like India. Spinners will play a big role. I’ve been to the West Indies on many occasions, and I’ve seen there’s always something for the spinners. Hence, it is important to pick the right attack. You cannot look past the conditions because they will be similar to the subcontinent. You have to make the team keeping in mind the conditions. You need to have at least three spinners in your squad,” exclaimed Harbhajan.
(News18 inputs)
