Asia Cup 2018: Kuldeep Yadav & Yuzvendra Chahal The Key Against Pakistan, Feel Sourav Ganguly and Ramiz Raja

Sourav Ganguly and Ramiz Raja that the upcoming Asia Cup-clash between India and Pakistan can be decided by the way Pakistani batsmen fare against Indian spinners –  Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav.

Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have not looked back since replacing Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in the limited-overs team last year.

The duo got a chance after Ashwin and Jadeja’s constant struggles with white-ball and went on to justify their selection. After blowing away Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka at home, they made a huge mark in South Africa. Kuldeep and Chahal were the leading wicket-takers in the ODIs. While Kuldeep picked up 17 wickets, Chahal ended with 16 as India beat the hosts 5-1 to win a historic series.

The duo also made their mark in England. While Kuldeep was the highest wicket-taker in ODIs, Chahal was the most economical bowler.

And Ramiz Raja and Sourav Ganguly feel that both the spinners can be decisive in the upcoming big clash.

“Kuldeep and Chahal are going to be a serious threat for Pakistan and if they fail to read Kuldeep from his hand then it will be fatal. Pakistani players don’t play spin very well. Their record against (Shane) Warne and (Graeme) Swann is not good and have struggled against Harbhajan Singh. Both teams depend upon eking out crucial wickets during the middle overs and India will rely on the duo to set the game for them in overs 10-40. If Pak plays spin well then they will get ahead of India in the game though if they fail to do so then India will be all over them,” Ramiz told IndiaTV.

Ganguly agreed with Ramiz by saying:

“As Ramiz was saying Kuldeep’s performance in the middle-overs will be interesting to see. I have seen him doing a lot of damage in the first match of a series but then there is a dip in his performance. So we will have to see whether Pak takes advantage of this fact.”

Meanwhile, both the teams are entering the contest after registering contrasting wins against Hong Kong in their opening games. While Pakistan comfortably defeated the minnows by 8 wickets, India were given a big scare before they managed to win the game by 26 runs.