As the countdown for the T20 World Cup has begun, the race for the final squad is getting more interesting with each series. Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan also gave his verdict on his choice if India has to pick one swing bowler out of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Deepak Chahar.
India has a terrific run in the shortest format of late as they are on a 12-match winning streak. But their memories of the World Cup exit before the semifinals would be still fresh and they would want to turn things around this time. Under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, India made a fresh approach in many aspects, whether it’s batting or bowling, they want to set a tone in the powerplay.
Chahar’s batting has improved a lot- Irfan Pathan
Bhuveneshwar who was on the verge of getting dropped from T20Is after a poor outing in an ODI series against South Africa made a significant stride in the last couple of series against West Indies.
On the other side, Deepak Chahar got fewer opportunities but he made the most out of it. And his case becomes stronger if his impact with the bat has been added. However, right before the series against Sri Lanka, he got injured and now he is all set to miss the most part of IPL 2022.
Irfan Pathan feels that Deepak Chahar is slightly ahead in the race because of his batting impact.
“On the basis of their recent performances, I believe Deepak Chahar is slightly ahead. Yes, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been doing well in the past few games, but when it comes to batting, Chahar has improved a lot. On the basis of that, I think he is ahead of Bhuvi,” Irfan Pathan spoke to Star Sports.
Former India opener Aakash Chopra also believes that only one of the two would make it to the final squad as both of them bring the same skillset.
“You would like to keep only one of Deepak Chahar and Bhuvi because both bring a similar kind of skillset. One of them is guaranteed to be there in the 15-member squad,” Aakash Chopra said.