While the impressive bowling performance from Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal is certain to give the Indian team-management a lot of headaches as far as picking the spinners in the playing eleven is concerned, former India spinner Narendra Hirwani has cautioned not to get carried away.
India’s first choice spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have not quite managed to perform as per their reputation in limited-overs cricket in recent months. While Ashwin was an irregular starter in this year’s Champions Trophy, Jadeja managed to pick up only four wickets in the tournament. Ashwin has not played in the 50-over cricket since then while Jadeja has not performed well in the limited opportunities.
On the other hand, their replacements Chahal and Kuldeep have done well with the ball. After their impressive outings in Sri Lanka, the duo has proved their mettle in the ongoing five-match series against Australia. Both the spinners have picked up five wickets each with Kuldeep also taking a hat-trick in the second ODI at the Eden Gardens.
But despite their impressive performances, Hirwani feels they still have a long way to go before they prove themselves.
“Ashwin and Jadeja have already proved themselves. They have already achieved some good things in the past few years. They won India the Champions Trophy in 2013. Ashwin also did well in 2015 World Cup, in conditions that were more suitable for pacers. However, Chahal and Kuldeep have just started their careers. They have to prove themselves at the international level,” Hirwani told The Times of India.
With Chahal and Kuldeep been in the team for the last two series while Ashwin and Jadeja rested, there were speculations that the team management is looking beyond the experienced spinners. However, Hirwani has a different take on the matter as he said:
“They will only learn when they would get to play enough matches. Unless they get proper opportunity how can you judge their ability to perform under pressure? The team management is doing just that. They were given opportunities in Sri Lanka, and now they are getting an opportunity against Australia, which is one of the best teams in the world.
In the last one and one-and-half years, different spinners have played in different conditions. In the next series, you might see a different spin combination. It’s always good to have options,” he added.