T20 World Cup 2021: “Maybe we missed a trick” - Aakash Chopra on why Yuzvendra Chahal could have made a difference to Team India 

Former cricketer Aakash Chopra reckons India may have missed a trick by not picking experienced leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal in the 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup 2021. Chopra pointed out that most good T20 sides have a good leg-spinner and the ongoing tournament has only reiterated that fact.

India picked Rahul Chahar and Varun Chakravarthy as leg-spinning options in their T20 World Cup squad but heading into the team’s last game against Namibia, Chahar is yet to play a match. The Men in Blue have preferred Chakravarthy, who has played in three of India’s four games but has been wicketless.

Pointing to the success of leg-spinners in the T20 World Cup 2021, Chopra stated on his YouTube channel:

“Leg-spinners are ruling the roost. Wanindu Hasaranga took a hat-trick, Adam Zampa claimed a five-for. Rashid Khan has been outstanding and Ish Sodhi has been very good. So most of the leg-spinners have come to the fore. Even when the ball has been wet, they have been able to make an impact. That’s the beauty of leg-spinners.”

The 44-year-old then pondered upon whether India had made a mistake by leaving Chahal out. Chopra continued:

“Looking at the great performances made me wonder whether India erred by not picking (Yuzvendra) Chahal. If he was there, 100% he would have played. But because we chose Rahul Chahar ahead of him, we decided to give the first chance to Varun Chakravarthy in the playing XI. Then we played (Ravichandran) Ashwin, which is not a bad idea. But the fact is if Chahal was there, he would have been your original choice. The way leg-spinners have performed, maybe we missed a trick. Leg-spinners usually do well in T20 cricket.”

India will play their last match in the T20 World Cup 2021 against Namibia in Dubai on Monday.

What Team India’s bowling coach had to say about Yuzvendra Chahal’s absence

Team India’s bowling coach Bharat Arun has caused a few flutters by claiming, in a recent press conference, that fatigue could have been one of the reasons behind the team’s below-par showing in the T20 World Cup.

He, however, wasn’t as forthcoming over Chahal’s absence from the squad. Asked about the same, Arun replied:

‘"I wouldn't like to dwell too much on that and that is for the selectors to decide. We can only play with the team given (to us).”

Chahal had an impressive IPL 2021 for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), claiming 18 scalps in 15 matches at a strike rate of 17.66 and an economy rate of 7.05.