T20 WC: "Siraj has to make way for Kuldeep...", says Piyush Chawla ahead of IND-AFG clash

Jun 20, 2024

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 20 : Ahead of India's ICC T20 World Cup clash against Afghanistan, Indian spin veteran Piyush Chawla said that pacer Mohammed Siraj should make way for spinner Kuldeep Yadav, since the conditions in Barbados require the teams to play three spinners.
India will be playing Afghanistan in their ICC T20 World Cup Super Eights game at Barbados on Wednesday. India ended their group stage with three wins in three matches against Ireland, Pakistan and the USA in Group A while their last game against Canada ended in a washout. Afghanistan ended the group stage in second place in Group C, with three wins and a loss to West Indies.
Speaking on the Star Sports Press Room for Super 8, Piyush said, "Well, you definitely need one spinner, especially in those conditions where the ball is spinning and the pitch is on the slower side. So, I would say I will not choose between either Axar (Patel) or (Ravindra) Jadeja (to make way for Kuldeep) because you need three spinners in those conditions. And with the way Hardik Pandya is bowling, you can consider him your third seamer. So, it is going to be a toss-up between Arshdeep and Siraj. And while Arshdeep has bowled well, and I do not want to take any credit away from Siraj, if you have to choose between those two, I think Siraj has to make way for Kuldeep."
Piyush said that all the venues in the West Indies are suited to spinner and said that team's strategy of choosing four spinners was for this particular leg of the competition.
"If you look at the conditions, all the venues are suited for spinners. When the team was formed, everyone asked why four spinners were included in the squad, and Rohit said that we would find out. He actually meant for this leg. We are already playing two spinners here, and an additional spinner would add to the squad. As (Kris) Srikkanth sir said, Siraj is doing well, but looking at the team combination, Kuldeep should be included in the squad," he concluded.
Squads:
India Squad: Rohit Sharma(c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, Yuzvendra Chahal
Afghanistan Squad: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan(c), Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Mohammad Ishaq, Nangeyalia Kharote, Hazratullah Zazai.