ICC T20 World Cup 2022 India Squad: Sanjay Manjrekar Says Kuldeep Yadav Should Play Ahead Of Yuzvendra Chahal In T20 World Cup In Australia

Cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar wants Kuldeep Yadav to play ahead of Yuzvendra Chahal in the T20 World Cup in Australia.

The showpiece event is still four months away from the point but the Indian think-tank has already started to explore the right match-ups beginning with the T20I series at home against South Africa.

Kuldeep Yadav or Yuzvendra Chahal in T2o World Cup?

Both Chahal and Kuldeep were dropped from India’s squad for the previous edition of the global event in UAE and have returned to the white-ball set-up on the back of their excellence in IPL 2022. Chahal bagged the purple cap this year with 27 wickets in 17 games while Kuldeep was fifth on the list of leading wicket-takers with 21 wickets.

Sanjay Manjrekar picks Kuldeep Yadav over Yuzvendra Chahal for India in T20 World Cup

Both the wrist spinners have picked four wickets each in Australia from three games but Kuldeep has a better economy rate of 5.50 than Chahal’s 9.75 in Down Under in the shortest format. Manjrekar reckoned teams will find a hard time picking up Kuldeep but Chahal will have a challenge to bowl on the flat tracks in Australia.

“He (Chahal) will be tested on those pitches in Australia, the pitches won’t be the kind that Chahal relishes and that’s why I believe Kuldeep Yadav has got to be a part of the squad. There will be bounce for his kind of a bowler. The other thing is in a World Cup you play a different team every game, so there will come along teams who will not be so good against the kind of deception that a Kuldeep Yadav has,” Manjrekar said on Sports 18. 

“Chahal’s great strength is his temperament, the courage that he has despite getting hit. So big pressure game, he is one guy who is not going to be too tense and a more reliable option than Kuldeep Yadav. But if the pitch turns in Australia, then Chahal becomes your bowler but as I said before, a flat bouncy pitch is not a pitch Chahal will love to bowl on but he has got other factors to bring him in,” he added. 

Chahal is currently playing for India in the ongoing T20I series against South Africa while Kuldeep was ruled out of the series due to an injury.

Also Read: IND vs SA: The Aggressive Yuzvendra Chahal Was On Show – Ashish Nehra