Veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh feels that India have missed a trick by not picking Yuzvendra Chahal and Arshdeep Singh in the 15-member ODI World Cup squad. Team India has named their squad for the mega ICC event as Chahal once again failed to make it to the 50-over squad. The selectors went ahead with Kuldeep Yadav over him while all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel were chosen as the other spin-bowling options.
In the pace department, India went ahead with four right-arm pacers and didn’t pick any left-armer which Harbhajan Singh feels that the selectors missed the trick as a player like Arshdeep Singh would have troubled the right-handed batters.
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“Two players are missing. Yuzvendra Chahal and Arshdeep Singh. A left-arm pacer who can bring the ball in to the right-handers like Shaheen Afridi. Then Yuzvendra Chahal is a proven match-winner, he has taken so many wickets. If he was playing for any other nation, would have been in the eleven. He’s proved himself before. I would have picked him. I think Arshdeep & Chahal should have been in the team but in whose place that’s debatable,” Harbhajan said on Star Sports.
Harbhajan also suggested that India lack variety in the spin bowling department.
“If you have to pick 3 spinners, you need to have left-arm spinner, legspinner and off spinner. You can do without an off-spin but then you should pick a legspinner,” he added.
Legendary Pakistan paceman Shoaib Akhtar was also part of the same panel discussion as he also expressed the similar views regarding Chahal and Arshdeep’s snub from the World Cup squad.
“Not picking Chahal is beyond me. Arshdeep can handle pressure, he has been part of big games. I feel they are playing with a bowler less,” he added.
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Akhtar further talked about India’s performance in recent times as he said that the team looked unsettled in the past couple of years.
“The team hasn’t looked settled for the past two years. It’s a strange thing. Having said that, I’m all for Rohit and Kohli but everyday you have to perform and take charge. Can’t leave it to the younger players. Batting looks unsettled, bowling looks unsettled,” he added.
India 15-player squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj.
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