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India vs South Africa: Omission of Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal puzzles experts

India vs South Africa: Omission of Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal puzzles experts but they express optimism of seeing the spin duo making a return

Omission of Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal puzzles experts but they express optimism of seeing the spin duo making a return

New Delhi, September 16: Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal - the famed 'KulCha' of Indian cricket - may not be the flavour of the season but experts believe it is too early to write them off in the shortest format ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup next year.

Both Kuldeep and Chahal, who had cemented their place in the two shorter formats with impressive performances over the past 24 months, have not been picked for two straight T20I series, including the ongoing home assignment against South Africa.

1. Virat Kohli's explanation

1. Virat Kohli's explanation

Ahead of the opening T20I against South Africa in Dharamsala, captain Virat Kohli said the team has been trying out the likes of Rahul Chahar and Washington Sundar as it is looking to bat deep and post 200 plus totals consistently. Kohli also said the team is looking to give chances to as many youngsters ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup.

2. Aakash Chopra's opinion

2. Aakash Chopra's opinion

Former India opener Aakash Chopra feels the decision to exclude Kuldeep and Chahal could be a double-edged sword. "You won't bat conservatively if you have that kind of depth. That is what England did in ODIs. They changed the template completely. They focused on batting deep as they wanted to score 400 and they achieved it many times," Chopra told PTI.

"It looks India is wanting to take the same aggressive approach in T20Is, there is nothing wrong in that. Now, they need to start showing the intent of scoring 220 consistently. Batting till 8, 9 and 10 is ambitious but if you are trying to score 220 it is fine," he explained.

3. The Sunil Joshi take

3. The Sunil Joshi take

"I would suggest that Kuldeep and Chahal should go back to domestic cricket when they are not on national duty. Finger spinner or wrist spinner is not the question here. It is about having the tactics to outclass the batsman besides technique and temperament," said Joshi.

"Let's see how the young spinners do and ample opportunities should be given to them. But at the same time, if Chahal and Kuldeep are playing only one format, it could disturb their rhythm. White ball cricket is all about rhythm. The conditions will be different in Australia for the World T20 with bigger grounds. Overspin will come in handy. All the spinners who are in the hunt should be told about their roles clearly else it might cause confusion in their minds," Joshi added.

4. Will KulCha be back?

4. Will KulCha be back?

"Chahal will be back. Rahul Chahar is more of a bowler and Washington Sundar's batting at number 8 may not be needed anyway," Chopra added. Kuldeep and Chahal's inclusion has become a talking point just like when finger spinners R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were shown the door in the shorter formats following the 2017 Champions Trophy. Jadeja has made a comeback but Ashwin couldn't so far.

Story first published: Monday, September 16, 2019, 19:06 [IST]
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