“I am sure he would have got a wake-up call” - Deep Dasgupta backs Yuzvendra Chahal to bounce back
Deep Dasgupta believes Yuzvendra Chahal got a reality check after he was dropped for the final two T20Is against England. But the cricketer-turned-commentator backed the leg-spinner to show his class in the ODI series against the same opposition.
Yuzvendra Chahal struggled during the first three T20I games, picking up just three wickets while conceding runs at an economy of 9.92. As a result, he was replaced by youngster Rahul Chahar for the final two matches.
While speaking on Sports Today, Deep Dasgupta opined that Yuzvendra Chahal would soon bounce back and break out of his recent rut.
"He (Chahal) has looked a little off the boil this series. With Rahul Chahar coming in and performing, there are a lot of right-arm wrist-spinners, let alone wrist-spinners. I am sure he would have got a wake-up call there. I am sure he will up his game as well because he knows there is a fair amount of competition," Dasgupta said.
Despite getting several chances, Yuzvendra Chahal has struggled massively in white-ball cricket over the last year. He has picked just 10 wickets in his last 12 T20Is at an economy rate of 9.27. Chahal is known for getting India breakthroughs during the middle overs, but the leggie has failed to do so in recent months, picking up more than one wicket just once during the said period.
His ODI form makes for grim reading too. Yuzvendra Chahal has only seven wickets to his name in four games. The leg-spinner has proven to be expensive in the 50-over format as well, with his economy rate reading 6.79 in 2020.
Yuzvendra Chahal is still India’s No.1 spinner in white-ball cricket. With the T20 World Cup on the horizon, he needs to prove himself once again in order to keep his place in the Indian side.
Deep Dasgupta wants to see Kuldeep Yadav against England
If Yuzvendra Chahal continues to struggle, India have several options in the spin bowling department. Apart from Rahul Chahar, Kuldeep Yadav is also in the fray. After playing just seven white-ball games for India since the start of 2020, Deep Dasgupta hopes to see Kuldeep getting some game time against England in the ODI series.
"I am glad that Kuldeep Yadav is there as well. You would ideally want Kuldeep to play a few games here. He has been a part of the white-ball teams but basically been a passenger over the last 2 years."
Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav are part of Team India's ODI squad against England. With the hosts likely to experiment with their line-up in Pune, both players are expected to feature in the series.