IND vs IRE: WV Raman defends Indian selectors' decision to pick 4 spinners for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024

Former India cricketer WV Raman has defended the Ajit Agarkar-led Indian selection committee's decision to pick 4 spinners for the ICC T20 World Cup.

India have gone with a spin-heavy bowling attack which consists of bowlers like Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja. In the pace bowling department there is Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Hardik Pandya. It will be interesting to see how the pace battery performs over there.

Yesterday, India got the first taste of what the conditions are going to be in New York where they will play 3 out of their 4 Group A matches. The Indians came up with an all-round clinical performance as the bowlers as well as the batters clicked in their only warm-up game against Bangladesh at the Nassau County Stadium.

What did WV Raman say about India's spin line-up?

While speaking to the PTI recently, WV Raman appeared to be defending team India's decision to go with 4 spin bowlers in the 15-man squad. Raman, a former opening batter, feels that the decision was not taken just like that as a lot of discussions would have taken place behind the scenes.

After all, India's cricketing matters are not child's play as there is plenty at stake so the selectors didn't take any irrational decision. WV Raman thinks that a lot of thought and rationale would have been behind the selectors' thought process. That whatever we get to see on the West Indies' surface is going to be very conducive for spinners.

"Let's not forget that a lot of thought would have gone into it. There must have been enough rationale and thinking behind those additions. Whatever you get to see on the West Indies pitches these days is more conducive to spinners," WV Raman said.

WV Raman, whose full name is Woorkeri Raman, further added that the spinners who made it to the Indian squad actually performed well in the IPL. Here in India, there are flat and hard batting surfaces but there, too, the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav among others did well.

Therefore, WV Raman believes that the selectors wanted actual spinners to rule in the T20 World Cup 2024 instead of the fast bowlers bowling slower ones.

"The spinners have done well in the IPL on the good hard-flat tracks in India. This has prompted the selectors to think that you are better off with spinners rather than fast bowlers and then ask them to take the pace off." - Raman added.

WV Raman feels India have a good chance of winning the T20 WC

Lastly, WV Raman stated that the Indian team have a very good chance of winning the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 due to the match winners in the side.

"It has a very good chance. We have a brilliant lot of cricketers who can be match-winners on their days. T20 is such a format where you need a bit of luck as well, especially in the knockouts and that's where experience also counts, which we have aplenty in the side," WV Raman concluded.