Yuzvendra Chahal’s omission from the Asia Cup squad has not gone well with several experts and critics. Adding another one to the long list is Harbhajan Singh. The former India off-spinner opines that the leg spinner’s exclusion from the Continental Cup squad is not a good sign as he is India’s better spinner available in white-ball formats. For the record, Axar Patel was preferred over Chahal due to his superior batting skills.
Axar also played six ODIs in 2023, as opposed to Chahal, who featured only in two ODIs this year. Also, with Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja in the Asia Cup team, there was no room to fit Chahal. Kuldeep also does not offer much with the bat, and hence Axar got the nod due to being a handy batter lower down the order however, Harbhajan stated that Chahal is a genuine spinner and wicket-taker in white-ball cricket.
“The one thing I feel is lacking in the team is the absence of Yuzvendra Chahal. A leg-spinner who can get the ball to turn away. If you talk about genuine spinner, I don’t think there’s any spinner in India better than Chahal in white-ball formats. Yes, his last few games weren’t good, but that doesn’t make him a bad bowler,” Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.
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Yuzvendra Chahal: Harbhajan hoping to see Chahal in the World Cup squad, says the leg spinner is a proven match-winner
While the deadline for the provisional squad for World Cup 2023 is September 5, it is very unlikely that India will tinker with the present Asia Cup squad. The World Cup squad will be later trimmed to a 15-member squad by September 28, and Harbhajan is optimistic to see Chahal for the showpiece event. The cricket expert feels the RR leg spinner is a game-changer in ODIs.
“I think his presence in the team was necessary. I hope the doors aren’t closed to him. It’s important to consider him for the World Cup because the tournament is in India. Chahal is a proven match-winner. I can understand his form isn’t good, so you may have rested him. But I think if he was with the team, his confidence would’ve stayed intact. Any player who comes back after being dropped, the pressure to perform is always there,” he added.
Not only in ODIs, but Chahal also performed badly in the T20 series against West Indies. It has been two years since the leg spinner has not got a consistent run in the team, and hence his selection for World Cup looks bleak.
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