'He Performs Extremely…': Sourav Ganguly Names Spinner BCCI Should 'Keep An Eye On' For World Cup
Ganguly has tipped Chahal to make it into the India squad [Twitter]
Ahead of the 2023 World Cup, Sourav Ganguly, the former India captain, stressed the importance of having a leg spinner in the team and recommended Yuzvendra Chahal as a potential addition to the squad, considering his consistent performances in ODI and T20 formats.
Chahal recently eclipsed Dwayne Bravo to become the highest-ever wicket-taker in Indian Premier League history during the IPL 2023 season. He has been a regular member of the Indian team in limited-overs cricket but somehow always missed the major ICC events for various reasons.
During a conversation with Star Sports, Ganguly spoke about the importance of having a leg-spinner in the team, especially when the World Cup is being played entirely in the country.
Here’s what Sourav Ganguly told Star Sports:
“I feel India have to find a wrist-spinner for this World Cup. Jadeja is there, Ravichandran Ashwin is there, Axar Patel is there, who according to me is also an exceptional all-rounder.”
“(Ravi) Bishnoi and Kuldeep (Yadav) are there but (Yuzvendra) Chahal somehow misses big tournaments. He performs extremely consistently in shorter formats, whether it is 20-over or 50-over. It is important to keep an eye on him as well.”
In the 2019 ODI World Cup, Chahal featured in eight games and picked up 12 wickets. However, he failed to make the cut in India’s setup for the 2021 T20 World Cup under the leadership of Virat Kohli and did not appear in any match for Rohit Sharma-led side in the 2022 T20 World Cup.
The former India skipper further suggested that players like Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav should be seriously considered by the management to provide India with an edge over other teams in the asian conditions.
"When you will play Australia, England or South Africa, a wrist-spinner makes a difference in these conditions. In 2011 there was Piyush Chawla, who bowled well.”
"When we went to South Africa in 2007, there also our wrist-spinners bowled well along with the fast bowlers. Harbhajan Singh was in that team. I feel it will be extremely important to keep a wrist-spinner in Indian conditions.”
India's World Cup campaign begins with a match against Australia on October 8, while the much-awaited clash against arch-rivals Pakistan is slated to be played on Sunday, October 15 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
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