India are all set to host the 2023 ODI World Cup 2023 which starts on October 5. While the team awaits news on the fitness of ace fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid will be tasked with forming a balanced team with two spin bowlers in the fray.
Sourav Ganguly, the former India captain, has urged the team management to keep an eye on veteran leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal for the upcoming ODI World Cup.
Chahal was a part of the Indian squad for the 2022 T20 World Cup which was held in Australia but he did not feature in any of the matches.
While Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi are other capable wrist spinners India have at their disposal, Ganguly believes Chahal might be crucial to Men in Blues' title hopes.
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What did Sourav Ganguly say about Yuzvendra Chahal?
Ganguly, while speaking on a Star Sports program, mentioned that Chahal could be a potent weapon for the Men in Blue.
(Ravi) Bishnoi and Kuldeep (Yadav) are there but (Yuzvendra) Chahal somehow misses big tournaments. He performs extremely consistently in shorter formats, whether it is 20-over or 50-over. It is important to keep an eye on him as well.
Ganguly further emphasized the difficulty SENA nations have in dealing with wrist spinners, particularly given that the tournament will be hosted on Indian soil.
When you will play Australia, England or South Africa, a wrist-spinner makes a difference in these conditions. In 2011, there was Piyush Chawla, who bowled well.
When we went to South Africa in 2007, there also our wrist-spinners bowled well along with the fast bowlers. Harbhajan Singh was in that team. I feel it will be extremely important to keep a wrist-spinner in Indian conditions.
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What next for the Indian cricket team?
After a disappointing loss in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final and ahead of the upcoming ODI World Cup and Asia Cup, India are set to go on a one-month tour of the West Indies.
The tour will see India and West Indies clash in two Tests (which will be a part of the next WTC cycle of 2023-25), five T20Is and three ODIs from July 12 to August 13.
