Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav’s performance in the first two games of the ongoing series against Australia has just shown the depth of India’s bench strength. There were speculations that the absence of front-line spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal will make it tough for India against the world champions, but Chahal and Kuldeep have quashed all the suggestions with their performance in the first two games so far.
Both the spinners have taken five wickets each in the first two games with Kuldeep also taking a hat-trick in the second match, as India are leading the five-match series 2-0. Their performance has undoubtedly left one and all impressed and former India opener Virender Sehwag is no exception. The swashbuckling opener has said the newcomers have not let the team feel the absence of the experienced spinners.
“It is a nice thing that we do not feel the pinch of not having two experienced spinners on our side, because our newcomers are performing very well,” Sehwag told India TV.
Sehwag also had a word of praise for Kuldeep’s hat-trick, but cautioned:
“He must bowl according to his field placings, because in the second ODI, he gave away too many runs during his spell.”
Kuldeep had gone wicketless in the first seven overs at the Eden Gardens and had conceded 39 runs before taking the hat-trick. He eventually finished with 3 for 54 in his ten overs.
Sehwag further said that doing well in batting friendly conditions of Bengaluru during the IPL has made Chahal the go-to man for captain Virat Kohli.
“Chahal has the advantage of bowling on wickets like Bengaluru during the IPL matches. Chahal plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore, which is captained by Virat Kohli,” he said. “So whenever there is a crisis, Kohli hands over the ball to Chahal.”
While the Indian team is looking unstoppable at the moment, there is no denying that the team management will be a bit worried due to the inconsistent performances of the middle-order. The likes of KL Rahul and Manish Pandey have been tried out, but none of them has managed to give consistent performances.
“The middle-order did not perform well in the first two ODIs, and captain Kohli needs to change the batting order. Manish Pandey and Kedar Jadhav should take advantage of the chances given to them, otherwise both have been flops till now,” he said.
Sehwag went on to predict that the hosts will win the ongoing series 5-0.
“Team India presently seems to be as strong as Steve Waugh’s or Ricky Ponting’s Australian teams. The present Australian team lacks strength. I am confident Team India will win the series 5-0,” the former opener said.
Meanwhile, India will have a chance to seal the series in Indore on Sunday (September 24) when both the teams lock horns for the third match.