ICC World Cup 2023: "India Have To Find A Wrist-Spinner For This World Cup" - Sourav Ganguly Says India Should Back Yuzvendra Chahal

Former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly believes that the Indian cricket team should include a leg spinner in their squad for the upcoming ODI World Cup at home. Sourav Ganguly pointed out that Yuzvendra Chahal was unfortunate to miss out on the last two ICC tournaments in white-ball cricket.

Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav were the first-choice spinners for the Men in Blue in the 2019 World Cup. Chahal picked up 12 wickets in the marquee event, while Kuldeep took 6 wickets. Both spinners will be next seen in action during the upcoming three-match ODI series against the West Indies.

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He Performs Extremely Consistently – Sourav Ganguly

In a conversation with Star Sports, Sourav Ganguly stated that India has a strong contingent of finger spinners but highlighted the importance of having a wrist spinner.

“I feel India have to find a wrist-spinner for this World Cup. Jadeja is there, Ravichandran Ashwin is there, Axar Patel is there, who according to me is also an exceptional all-rounder,” Ganguly said.

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“(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,” he added.

Chahal’s exclusion from the squad for the 2021 T20 World Cup came as a surprise to many cricket fans and experts. Chahal was included in the squad for the 2022 T20 World Cup, but he did not get the opportunity to feature in any matches in the tournament.

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A Wrist-Spinner Makes A Difference – Sourav Ganguly

Recalling India’s successful World Cup campaigns in 2007 and 2011, the former Indian skipper emphasized the importance of having a balanced bowling attack with a mix of different types of spinners.

“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,” he further stated.

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“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,” he concluded.

Piyush Chawla was part of the Indian squad in both the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup. He didn’t get a chance to play in the T20 tournament. He picked up four wickets at an economy rate of 6.21 in the 2011 edition.

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Virat Kohli | Rohit Sharma | Rishabh Pant | KL Rahul | Suryakumar Yadav | Sanju Samson | Shreyas Iyer | Yuzvendra Chahal | Jasprit Bumrah