India managed to survive the New York nightmare in the first leg of the T20 World Cup and will now enter the Super 8 stage which will be hosted in the Caribbean islands. Unlike the conditions in the USA, the pitches in venues across the islands are more spin-favouring in nature – which will force India to change their strategy. Until now, Rohit Sharma and co. have opted for the all-rounder spinner options instead of deploying specialist spinners.
Why India need Kul or Cha for Super 8?
Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, a deadly combo fondly known as Kul-Cha, have not featured in the playing XI side by side for a long time now. And it is highly unlikely for that to happen in the future as well. Given India’s team combination, there remains only one spot for either Kuldeep or Chahal to grab.
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Although Chahal (96) holds a statistical advantage over Kuldeep (59) in terms of number of wickets in T20Is, the latter has been in stellar form recently, leading up to the World Cup making him a frontrunner for a spot in the XI. However, Chahal has also made his case for his inclusion in the side with his performance in the IPL, redefining why he was still one of the best in the business. Take for example, he became the first Indian spinner to bag 350 wickets in T20s.
How Kul-Cha have fared in West Indies
Both Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have impressive records in the West Indies. Here’s a glimpse of their past performances:
- Kuldeep Yadav: 23 wickets in 13 matches at a strike rate of 21.3.
- Yuzvendra Chahal: 12 wickets in 7 matches at a strike rate of 20.00.
Entry for one only
Former Indian cricketer Piyush Chawla echoed the need for India to play either Chahal or Kuldeep for the games in the Caribbean island.
“Till now we have been the most balanced side in the tournament with the same playing 11 in all the league stage games. But with the first leg of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup being done and the matches now shifting to West Indies where the pitches are different than the ones we were getting in New York, we may have to tweak the playing 11 a bit to incorporate one among Kuldeep Yadav or Yuzvendra Chahal due to different conditions. Since everyone is performing so well, it will be difficult to decide on who will have to sit out but it needs to be done. It will be interesting to see how Rahul and Co. will do it,” said Piyush Chawla on the ‘Caught & Bold’ show on Disney+ Hotstar.
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