Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra wants the selectors to consider picking leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal ahead of Axar Patel in India’s World Cup squad. The provisional 15-member Indian squad for the mega event to take place at home from October 5 to November 19 will be announced on Tuesday, September 5. Chahal is not part of the 17-member Asia squad as well.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said: “The 17 that are there, I am not assuming anyone to come from outside, although Yuzi Chahal and Shikhar Dhawan are not there. I feel Yuzi Chahal should be talked about but it’s not happening. Why am I saying that he should be talked about? I love Axar to bits but Jadeja and Axar are similar kinds of left-arm spinners and similar kinds of batters as well, and you will have both of them playing together.”
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Aakash Chopra stated that India might not be able to play Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel in tandem as well.
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“If you keep both of them (Jadeja and Axar) together at No. 7 and No. 8 and Kuldeep Yadav at No. 9, will India go with three spinners? We also have to bear in mind that you have a 10-over powerplay at the start and you need death bowlers for the last 10 years. So you won’t bowl 30 overs of spin. Hardik Pandya is bowling. He bowled more than even Shardul Thakur in yesterday’s match, but in the end, I still feel you can think about Yuzi Chahal in place of Axar. Personally, I like specialists. So I was thinking Yuzi Chahal should come. If Kuldeep goes cold in one or two matches, you don’t have a bowler like him,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
