Saba Karim, a former Indian selector has opined that it’s too late for RCB leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal to be included in the marquee T20 World Cup squad. Yuzvendra Chahal was dropped from the squad for the ICC event which raised a few eyebrows.
Yuzvendra Chahal seemed to be an automatic selection in Team India’s T20 World Cup squad but the leg-spinner was shockingly omitted. Yuzvendra Chahal, who has been India’s frontline spinner in white-ball cricket since 2017, was pipped by mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy and leg-spinner Rahul Chahar.
Saba Karim Thinks It’s Too Late To Include Yuzvendra Chahal And He Can Only Be Included If Someone Gets Injured
Ravichandran Ashwin, who made his comeback to the T20 side after 4 years, replaced Washington Sundar, who is injured and out of action. Yuzvendra Chahal though has been doing well in the UAE leg of IPL 2021 and can still make it to the WC squad. It is to be noted that cricketing boards can alter their squads till October 10.
While Yuzvendra Chahal continues to present his case for selection in the WC squad, former selector Saba Karim has opined that it’s too late for him now.
“I think it’s too late now. People have been talking about making changes in the squad, but that can only happen if someone gets injured. You also have to see Rahul Chahar was performing very well when he got selected. We saw both of them (Chahal and Chahar) in Sri Lanka, and his performances there were definitely noteworthy, which is why he was picked by selectors, ” Saba Karim said on Youtube channel Khelneeti.
“Now, in the second half of the IPL, Chahal has shown great improvement in his performances, which is very good. But he will have to wait a little. The players who have been selected, their form and performances will be seen before Chahal is given a chance again,” said Saba Karim.
Saba Karim reckons that he will have to wait for a little as selectors will be watching the performance of the players picked for the 2021 T20I World Cup squad. Yuzvendra Chahal has scalped 9 wickets in 4 matches in the UAE leg of the season. The likes of spinners Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, and Varun Chakravarthy were preferred over Yuzvendra Chahal who wasn’t selected even among the standby players.
From having made his debut for RCB in 2014 to earning a national call-up in 2016 and taking 100 wickets in the IPL, Yuzvendra Chahal has had an impressive career so far. In his international career thus far, the 30-year old has bagged 97 and 63 wickets in 56 ODIs and 49 T20Is respectively apart from 135 scalps in 111 IPL games.
Rahul Chahar Picked Up Only 2 Scalps In UAE Leg Of IPL 2021
Talking of other spinners, Varun Chakravarthy has 8 wickets in UAE while Ravichandran Ashwin has dismissed 4 batsmen in the 2nd leg. Rahul Chahar and Axar Patel have 2 and 6 wickets respectively in the 2nd half of IPL 2021.
It remains to be seen if Yuzvendra Chahal replaces any one of these spinners in the coming days or not. India kick off their T20 World Cup campaign against Pakistan on October 24.
In India, Rahul Chahar had picked up 11 wickets from just seven matches and did well in India’s tour of Sri Lanka as well. The young leg-spinner picked up 7 wickets in 3 T20Is, following which he earned a place in the T20 World Cup squad. Rahul Chahar has picked up only 2 wickets in the franchises’ first 4 matches of the UAE league of IPL 2021 following which he was axed.