"Yuzvendra Chahal Will Be Back": Aakash Chopra Backs Wrist Spinner's T20I Return
Yuzvendra Chahal has been included only in the Indian 50-over squad but there too he is not guaranteed a place in the playing XI.
Highlights
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Kohli said he was willing to give opportunities to youngsters
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India are trying out the likes of Rahul Chahar and Washington Sundar
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Chahal has not been included in T20I squad for South Africa series
Virat Kohli said on Sunday, before India's first T20I against South Africa washed out in Dharamsala, that he was willing to give opportunities to youngsters to prepare the right combination for the ICC T20 World Cup, to be played in Australia next year. The Indian captain added that the team was trying out the likes of Rahul Chahar and Washington Sundar as it was looking to bat deep and post 200-plus totals consistently. However, former India opener Aakash Chopra believes that excluding wrist spinner Yuzvendra Chahal for batting depth won't be a wise decision.
"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 said.
Chahal, at the moment, is only part of the ODI team while Kuldeep Yadav is part of both the 50-over and Test squads though not a sure starter in the eleven.
"The idea is if you have that much depth in batting you bat a certain way. You can't bat conservatively if you have that kind of depth. That is what England did. They changed the template completely. They focused on batting deep as they wanted to score 400 (in ODIs) and they achieved it many times," Chopra said.
"It looks India is wanting to take the same aggressive approach in T20s and 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 still ambitious (as you don't need them at all in a 20 over game) but if you are trying to score 220 it is fine," he explained.
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 T20 series, including the ongoing home assignment against South Africa.
Chopra felt if the team decides to compromise on its wicket-taking ability, then it to score more. However, he foresees Chahal making a T20 comeback very soon.
Kuldeep and Chahal's inclusion has become a talking point just like finger spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who were shown the door in the shorter formats following the 2017 Champions Trophy. Jadeja made a comeback but Ashwin couldn't.
(With PTI inputs)
India Cricket Team
Yuzvendra Chahal
Virat Kohli