Wasim Jaffer Opines On India's Bowling Combination For T20 World Cup; Cites Harshal Patel And Ravi Bishnoi As Candidates

Former India opener Wasim Jaffer shared his thoughts on the Men in Blue bowling combination for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2022 to be played in Australia and has named Harshal Patel and Ravi Bishnoi as potential additions to the Indian squad for the tournament.

Indian team under new captain Rohit Sharma has been on a roll in the T20 format. It earlier clean-swept New Zealand at home 3-0 and now dealt the same fate to West Indies, clean sweeping the two-time World T20 champions 3-0 in the recent series, despite missing Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant for the third and final match.

Wasim Jaffer pointed to Patel’s chart-topping five wickets from three T20Is against West Indies, saying his death bowling prowess left a brilliant impression. He was also eager to see Ravi Bishnoi bowl to Sri Lanka batters who deal with spin better than the West Indians.

Wasim Jaffer told ESPNCricinfo: “I think Harshal Patel has knocked on the door. He has helped finish matches by delivering the 18th and 20th overs. Ravi Bishnoi is a candidate as well. We’ll have to see how he performs in this series because I feel this Sri Lankan team plays spin better than West Indies.”

Wasim Jaffer Praises India’s Bowling Unit, Says They Have Boosted The Confidence Of India Captain Rohit Sharma

The former opener’s comments came on the eve of the first of India’s three home T20Is against Sri Lanka. He was all praises for the Indian bowling unit which performed incredibly well in the T20I series against West Indies and pointed out everyone from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, and all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer.

“The bowlers performed brilliantly in the last series, especially in the last overs against the kind of batting West Indies have, whether it was Harshal Patel or Bhuvi. (Jasprit) Bumrah has returned in this series which will definitely give a boost to the bowling. The spin bowlers, whether it was Chahal or Bishnoi, also bowled well… Even Venkatesh Iyer, the way he provided a sixth bowling option for Rohit Sharma and got the big wickets of Kieron Pollard and Roston Chase. I feel the captain’s confidence would have increased a lot,” he added.

Deepak Chahar will miss out on the Sri Lanka T20Is due to a hamstring injury. Apart from him, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Shardul Thakur are also in contention for the Indian team for the T20 World Cup squad.

Also Read: IND v SL: I Expect Them To Go With Three Spinners – Wasim Jaffer Says Sri Lankan Bowlers Will Pose More Problems For India