Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal will be very handy in T20 World Cup: Piyush Chawla

The Indian team has picked two wrist spinners for the T20 World Cup 2024, set to be played in the United States of America and West Indies in the month of June.

Both Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav have been named in the side – which has been focused around the spinners. MI spinner Piyush Chawla is excited about the team’s combination and has said that both will come handy in the ICC tournament.

Speaking about the role of spinners in T20 cricket after MI loss vs KKR in the Indian Premier League, Chawla said that batters are quite adept at hitting pace these days. Chawla argued that it is the spinners that have started making a difference in the game, and that’s why a spin heavy side for the World Cup was a good choice from the selection panel – led by Ajit Agarkar.

“When the T20 format came, nobody preferred spinners that much but if you now see around the world, the spinners are doing the damage. All the batters want the ball to come fast at their bat, but when the ball is slowed down, they have to generate the energy,” Chawla said in the post-match press conference.

“Looking at Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, Chahal started off brilliantly in the IPL. Kuldeep also has been doing well for the last one and a half years. It will be a great combination if both of them get to play together. In West Indies and USA, wickets will be on the slower side and they will be quite useful there,” he further added.

INDIA’s T20 World Cup Squad
Batters: Rohit Sharma (captain), Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav.

Wicketkeepers: Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson.

All-rounders: Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja.

Bowlers: Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj.

Many have raised concerns about India’s choice of picking four spinners. Some have called it an overkill after Rinku Singh lost his spot in the World Cup side. India captain Rohit Sharma has said that there might be games where India will play both wrist spinners. India have till 25 May to make changes to their side.