One Among Chahar, Saini And Khaleel To Make WC As Virat Kohli Confirms Only One Spot Up For Grabs

Unlike the past, Team India has a number of world class pacers in their ranks. India traditionally struggled to produce world class pacers on a consistent basis but things have started changing from the last few years. The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav as well as upcoming names like Deepak Chahar and Navdeep Saini have made India’s pace attack really formidable.

In fact, India’s bench strength is so strong at the moment that they did not even feel the absence of Bumrah, arguably the best in the world right now, in the ongoing home season. Against South Africa and Bangladesh, the likes of Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Chahar made their mark to help India continue their dominance at home.

And the strong pace lineup is set to cost a talented pacer a World Cup spot. Ahead of the first T20I against West Indies, India skipper Virat Kohli said there is only one spot left to be filled in the team’s pace attack for next year’s T20 World Cup in Australia. He also indicated that Bumrah, Shami and Bhuvneshwar have all but made the cut. The remaining one pacer is likely to be chosen from Chahar, Saini and Khaleel Ahmed.

“The fight obviously is for one spot and I think more or less three guys have made a place for themselves. It’s going to be a healthy competition and it will be interesting to see how it pans out,” Virat Kohli said.

“It’s not that big an issue for us. I think Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar) and (Jasprit) Bumrah are experienced bowlers. They have been very consistent in T20 cricket. Deepak (Chahar) has come in and has bowled really well.

“(Mohammed) Shami is coming back and he is bowling really well. If he gets into a rhythm and specifically works on what’s required in T20 cricket then he will be very, very useful in places like Australia, especially with his ability to pick wickets with the new ball. He has enough pace to execute yorkers,” he added.

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Two more pacers in contention:

While Virat Kohli did not mention any names, he did say that two more pacers are also in contention for a spot in the World Cup team.

“Also couple of more guys are under the scanner for sealing that spot along with three seamers. It’s a good position to be in because everyone is bowling really well,” Virat Kohli said.

The toss up is probably between Chahar and Khaleel since Saini has not played since the tour of West Indies. And if the recent performances of both Chahar and Khaleel are considered, the former is the front runner to find a place in the team. While Khaleel is still looking like a misfit in international cricket, Chahar has already presented a strong case for himself. In his last T20I outing, Chahar had picked up a world record 6 for 7 against Bangladesh.