Although Rohit Sharma mentioned that players who are not currently in the squad still have a chance, Yuzvendra Chahal, an experienced Indian spin bowler, didn’t make it to the final 15-player team for the World Cup. India’s chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, unveiled the squad during a press conference before the Asia Cup’s Super 4 stage.
KL Rahul, who has recovered from injury, remains part of Team India’s squad. However, Rohit Sharma and others decided not to include senior player who have served the team, the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin in their World Cup team.
India’s squad includes Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja as the three left-arm spinners for the tournament. Notably, India, despite being former world champions, did not select a specialist offspinner for the ICC event.
In a virtual press conference before the “Greatest Rivalry” on Star Sports, the renowned spinner Harbhajan Singh suggested that two standout players, Chahal and Arshdeep Singh, should have been included in the Indian squad for the World Cup, in his opinion.
India’s pace attack boasts talents like Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj, with vice-captain Hardik Pandya and all-rounder Shardul Thakur providing seam-bowling options. However, the squad did not include youngsters Tilak Varma and Prasidh Krishna, and wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson.
It’s worth noting that India initially selected Tilak and Prasidh Krishna for the Asia Cup but opted for spinner Kuldeep over Chahal in that squad.
Harbhajan Singh expressed his thoughts, saying, “Yuzvendra Chahal, is a proven match-winner with more wickets than any other spinner. If he represented any other country, I believe he would always be in the starting lineup.”
“Despite his impressive track record, I think he should have been included in the team. If I were part of the management, I would certainly have him in the squad because we all have a stake in Indian cricket’s success. So, in my opinion, these two players could have been very valuable in the World Cup, especially in conditions where they know how to excel and take wickets,” Harbhajan said.
