Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who has been doing wonders for the men in blue in limited overs cricket and formed a lethal combination with Kuldeep Yadav, should consider playing more red-ball matches to gain experience in the longer format, suggested India A coach Rahul Dravid.
The former India skipper said the leg-spinner has the skills and has been given the chance to prove himself in the ongoing ‘A’ series against South Africa. He explained, “Chahal is someone the Indian selectors are keen on and they want to see how he does in red-ball cricket because he has not played much. So, it is nice that we gave him a couple of chances and it has worked out nicely. So, the more Chahal plays red-ball cricket, the more experience he will gain. There is no doubt, as we see, that he had got skills, but he needs to play a lot more.”
ALSO READ: Dhoni Gave A Quirky Nickname To Yuzvendra Chahal
The legendary batsman is also pleased with the improvement shown by Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw.
Durng the post-match press-conference, Dravid said, “I think they have shown over the last year or so with their performances that they are playing very good cricket. Mayank Agarwal was quite exceptional in this game and Prithvi has shown continuous improvement in every level he has played.”
Praising Mohammad Siraj, who bagged a 10-wicket haul in the 4-day match against South Africa A and helped India A clinch the first unofficial Test, Dravid said, “Definitely, the way he has bowled in last three to four games for us in England and he has been absolutely terrific. He has taken 26 wickets in last three to four games. Also 10 here. He is maturing and bowling good, and also he is becoming stronger physically. For someone, who has not even played a lot of junior cricket coming up. He has played 17 or 18 first class games. So, he is learning.”
WATCH – Mohammed Siraj Bamboozled Alastair Cook
Talking about the planning and scheduling A series, the former Indian skipper said it is a very critical part, which requires to be done in advance in order to reciprocate a way between various boards just to create opportunities for players. He also talked about the success rate of Under-19 and India A, Dravid said organizing “A” series is “not only about winning games”, but to supplement talents to the national squad.
Dravid also added that there are times when he has to give opportunities to Indian players who are looking for a recall. He concluded, “We have organized a triangluar series – there will be 30 players on display when we play one day series and Test matches in Australia and South Africa. So, more of our guys get opportunities to showcase their talents against some of the really talented players of the world, the better.”
