ICC T20 World Cup 2021: 3 Players Who Can Replace Yuzvendra Chahal In Team India's Squad

For the first time in its cricket history, Team India is struggling with its spin options in white-ball cricket. While Kuldeep Yadav has faded away into oblivion, Yuzvendra Chahal is also on a consistent decline.

Since the start of August 2019, Yuzvendra Chahal has managed 16 wickets in 17 games at an average of 37.68 and an economy rate of 9.13.

The numbers make it clear that Chahal is neither taking enough wickets nor is he stemming the flow of runs. He was dropped from the playing XI during the England T20Is earlier this year and his poor form continued in the now-suspended IPL 2021.

So, what are the possible options that Team India can try in the coming months ahead of the T20 World Cup?

Here’s a look 3 Players Who Can Replace Yuzvendra Chahal In Team India’s Squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2021:

Rahul Chahar

Rahul Chahar has established himself as Mumbai Indians’ premier spinner via consistent performances in the IPL.

With Yuzvendra Chahal struggling for control and wickets, Rahul Chahar was given a chance in the T20I series against England earlier this year.

He claimed two crucial wickets in the fourth T20I but was largely ineffective in the series-decider but that was mainly because of the excessive dew.

Chahar was brilliant for the Mumbai Indians during their Chennai leg.

His 4/27 against KKR and 3/19 against SRH helped Mumbai Indians defend poultry totals of 152 and 150 respectively.

Chahar has thus far claimed 78 wickets in 64 T20 games at an average of 21.92 and an economy rate of 7.29 and the upcoming Sri Lanka series will be a great opportunity for him to stake a permanent spot in the Indian team.

Ravi Bishnoi

From getting snubbed by selectors at the U-16 and U-19 level to spearheading India to the U-19 World Cup final and then featuring for the Anil Kumble-KL Rahul-led Punjab Kings, Ravi Bishnoi has come a long way in his relatively short career.

The right-arm leg-spinner with his sharp googly has befuddled a number of batsmen both in the domestic circuit and in the IPL and a national call looks inevitable.

Bishnoi was the leading wicket-taker for India in the U-19 World Cup. In 6 games, the leggie claimed a total of 17 wickets at an average of 10.65.

He nearly won India the U-19 World Cup with a stupendous four-wicket haul but unfortunately, that was not to be as Bangladesh romped home to claim their maiden title.

Bishnoi has done admirably well in whatever chances he has got for Punjab Kings in the IPL- 16 wickets in 18 games at an average of 29.69 and an economy rate of 7.09.

It will be interesting to see if he gets a chance in the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka.

Varun Chakravarthy

His fitness issues notwithstanding, Varun Chakravarthy is arguably the best white-ball spinner in the country today.

A late bloomer, Chakravarthy had shelved his cricket aspirations at the age of 17 when he realized that he was going nowhere in professional cricket. He enrolled himself into a five-year architecture course in Chennai but by the time 2015 rolled out, the Tamil Nadu spinner was struggling to make ends meet.

He was drawn to tennis-ball cricket which led to him gradually veering away from wicketkeeping to become a bowling all-rounder. A knee injury forced him to become a spinner.

The rest, as they say, is history, Chakravarthy rose to fame courtesy of his exploits in the TNPL where his mystery spin befuddled batsmen no ends.

He took nine wickets in the competition at an economy rate of 4.7. Among his many admirers was Tamil Nadu skipper Dinesh Karthik. After spending a few days at trials with  CSK, Karthik called Varun to bowl in the nets. Following a stellar domestic season in 2018/19 where he finished as the second-highest wicket-taker in the Vijay-Hazare Trophy- 22 wickets in 11 games at 16.68- Chakravarthy earned the coveted IPL contract worth Rs 8.4 Crore with KKR during the 2019 auction.

While he featured in just one game in the 2019 edition, he displayed his talent to the hilt in the 2020 season as he not only became only the 2nd uncapped bowler to take a five-wicket-haul but he also ended up as KKR’s highest wicket-taker- 17 wickets in 13 games.

Uncapped players with an IPL five-wicket haul:

Ankit Singh Rajpoot (2018)
Varun Chakravarthy (Today)#IPL2020 #DCvKKR pic.twitter.com/SEhhDo9wpc

— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) October 24, 2020

Varun earned a much-deserved call-up to the Indian T20 squad for the Australian tour but an untimely injury ruled him out. He was once again integrated into the squad for the England series at home but his fitness issues once again proved to be his nemesis as he failed the Yo-Yo and 2 Km-run test.

Chakravarthy claimed 7 wickets in as many games in the now-suspended IPL 2021 and he will hope that he finally gets a chance to play for India in the upcoming Sri Lanka series.