The Indian Selection Committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, announced India’s 15-member squad for the upcoming ODI World Cup. Some big names got dropped from the squad, while some surprise players got retained. Well, all in all, some former cricketers and fans were not happy with the team selection.
One of the biggest concerns was the unavailability of options in the spin department. India went with Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja, and all three of them are left-arm spinners. Furthermore, Axar and Jadeja bring the same skillset to the table, and it is unlikely that they can play together in the same XI.
That is the reason that some former cricketers were unhappy and said that either Ravi Ashwin or Yuzi Chahal could have gotten a chance in the team. Even Sri Lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan was surprised to see the spin options for India. In a discussion with PTI, Murali said that three spinners can’t get a place in an XI; one can only play two.
He highlighted that Jadeja will play as an all-rounder, and the best combination will be to play Jadeja and Kuldeep together. However, on Chahal’s omission from the team, Murali said that not playing domestic cricket could be one of the reasons, and Kuldeep and Axar have shown better form than him.
Murali said, “I do not mind having experience, but is Chahal playing domestic cricket? If not, then how can you pick him? He is out. In my mind, if he is not playing domestic one-day cricket, then how can you pick him? If they do not play domestic and only play IPL, it is wrong.”
Chahal played his last ODI in January 2023 but has been part of the squad. Murali stated that playing T20I cricket doesn’t guarantee a good performance in an ODI. Chahal was not even picked for the Asia Cup squad. India is currently playing in the Asia Cup 2023 and has qualified for the Super Four. They will host Australia for three ODIs after this and then enter the ODI World Cup.
