IND vs NZ: "Not Playing Him Was A Big Mistake, Only Rohit And Dravid Can Explain It" -  Mohammad Kaif On Not Playing Yuzvendra Chahal In T20 World Cup 2022

Days after their humiliating exit from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, India players put their heads down and began preparing for the next three-match T20I series against New Zealand, with the first T20I scheduled for Friday, November 18.

Hardik Pandya will captain Team India in the shorter format in the absence of senior stars like KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma, while Shikhar Dhawan will lead in ODIs.

Yuzvendra Chahal was one of the few team players who did not get a chance to play in the recently concluded T20 World Cup. The team’s management continued with the strategy of using finger spinners Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin and leaving the leg spinner on the bench for the entire tournament.

Both Ashwin and Axar were disappointing in Australia. Ashwin took six wickets in six matches, while Axar took only three wickets in five matches.

Finger Spinners Don’t Get Much Help In Australia – Mohammad Kaif

Former India batsman Mohammad Kaif termed the decision not to play leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal as a “big mistake.” Kaif said that leggies play an important role in Australia, and only captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid can explain the baffling decision to drop Chahal.

“Leg-spinners have a crucial role and every team plays a leg-spinner – be it England, Australia, or South Africa. Look at ICC bowling rankings and you will find that four to five leg-spinners are part of the top 10,” Mohammad Kaif said.

“Finger spinners don’t get much help in Australia. There is bounce; hence the wrist spinners come into play. Not playing Chahal was a big mistake. Only Rohit and Dravid can explain it,” he added.

Sri Lankan wrist spinner Vanindu Hasaranga became the highest wicket-taker in the T20 World Cup 2022 with 15 wickets in eight matches. Shadab Khan took 11 wickets in seven matches, while Adil Rashid took just four wickets in six games but had an exceptional economy rate of 6.12.

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