Considering the recent performances of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, former England cricketer Monty Panesar reckons that Team India shouldn’t pick the two wrist-spinners for the T20 World Cup, slated to be held in India later this year.
According to Panesar, seasoned campaigners such as Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are much better options than Chahal and Kuldeep.
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Notably, Chahal has claimed 9 wickets in his last 10 T20Is while Kuldeep hasn't got many chances in the shortest format of the game. The left-arm chinaman bowler has played only 4 T20Is in the past two years, with the last one coming against Sri Lanka in January 2020.
"The IPL will be a big litmus test for Chahal and Kuldeep. If they have a bad season, their T20 World Cup berths will be doubtful," Panesar told Timesofindia.com in an exclusive interview.
"With the T20 World Cup coming up in October, Virat wants to pick his best spinners. It doesn't matter who they are. Virat wants performers. That's it. He has pacers and all-rounders and batsmen. The selection of spinners can worry him. I wouldn't mind seeing Jadeja and Ashwin back in the fray. If I was Virat, I would pick Ashwin-Jadeja ahead of Kuldeep-Chahal for the World T20. That's because of their experience and game-changing abilities. They both have all-around abilities. They both are big-match players. Why not pick them ahead of Kuldeep and Chahal?" he asked.
Ashwin, who hasn’t played a white-ball game for India since July 2017, has been in terrific form lately. The off-spinner was the Player-of-the-Series in the recently held four-Test series against England at home for his 32 scalps while he was impressive in last year’s IPL for Delhi Capitals.
"With the World Cup coming up, Ashwin can play a big role. He has a brilliant mind. He is experienced. I would suggest Kohli should go for Ashwin and Jadeja in the World Cup. They are veterans and have won the games for India with both bat and ball. Cricket is a funny game. Things change pretty quickly here. Performers become non-performers and people who have been warming benches, shine. A lot of talent is coming up in Indian cricket. It is all about 2 or 3 bad games and there are other options who are waiting to take your spot," Panesar remarked.
The England spinner feels a strong IPL performance can also put the veteran Harbhajan Singh in selection reckoning.
"This IPL is about the Indian spinners. You can't undermine Harbhajan Singh. Why not pick him in the World Cup squad if he has a good IPL season? I think he has some cricket left in him. Ashwin, Jadeja, and even Harbhajan will have the opportunity to be in the World Cup squad. All they need is to have a good IPL season," Panesar said.
(With TOI inputs)
