"At the moment, I see Rahul Chahar ahead of Yuzvendra Chahal for the T20 World Cup" - Deep Dasgupta
Deep Dasgupta feels that as of now, it's highly unlikely that the spin-twins Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav will feature together in the T20 World Cup.
In an interaction on his YouTube channel, the former wicketkeeper-batsman said India is likely to put Mumbai Indians leg-spinner Rahul Chahar ahead of the more experienced Chahal for the marquee competition. He, however, noted that the pecking order could change based on the upcoming Sri Lanka series and the IPL.
"At the moment, it looks unlikely. To be very honest, I see Rahul Chahar ahead of Yuzi (Yuzvendra Chahal). A lot will depend on the Sri Lanka series and obviously on the IPL as well. As for Kuldeep, he has not been the preferred bowler for more than a year and a half. So, it looks unlikely to me as of now. I don't know what will happen in six months," said Deep Dasgupta.
While Kuldeep Yadav hasn't played a T20I or an IPL game since January 2020, Yuzvendra Chahal was dropped midway through India's last T20I series and made way for Rahul Chahar.
Chahar has an experience of 3 T20Is where has picked as many wickets. He has also played 38 IPL matches, collecting 41 wickets at a decent average and strike-rate of 24.41 and 19.76 respectively.
Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan should both get opportunities in Sri Lanka: Deep Dasgupta
Amid the ongoing debate over who deserves to don the wicketkeeping gloves in Sri Lanka between Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson, Deep Dasgupta batted for parity of opportunities for both the youngsters. He said:
"I think both of them have earned their stripes, they should share the games in the series. Both of them have an opportunity for the World Cup, so yeah, if they are six matches, both should play [some of them] as wicketkeeper-batsmen."
The India-Sri Lanka series was supposed to start on July 13 but has now been pushed back to July 18 due to a couple of Covid-19 cases that emerged in the host camp. All the players tested negative on Sunday and the first ODI is expected to begin as planned.