"India can go with 3 spinners and 2 fast bowlers, with Pandya as the backup fast bowler" - Gavaskar on bowling combination for T20 World Cup
Former legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar feels that Team India should look to field three spinners in their playing XI for the 2024 T20 World Cup, leaving Hardik Pandya as the sixth-choice bowling option. The Men in Blue have picked four spinners in their squad, including two leg-spinners, a move which left several puzzled.
With the batting unit pretty much picking itself, Team India have the tricky task of figuring out the bowling combination. With only three specialist pacers and an all-round option in Hardik Pandya, there is an early indication that three spinners might be the way to go.
Gavaskar opined that a balanced bowling attack is crucial, and instead of naming Pandya as the fifth bowler for the sake of batting depth, he wished for three spinners in the playing XI.
"A balanced bowling attack is the most important in West Indies, so India can go with three spinners and two fast bowlers, with Hardik Pandya as the backup fast bowler. I think this will maintain the balance of the team," Gavaskar said in an interview with Dainik Jagran.
As mentioned earlier, Team India have four spinners in the form of Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel to choose from. When it comes to the pace bowling unit, there is Jasprit Bumrah as the spearhead along with Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj.
Pandya, on the other hand, made little impact with the ball for the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the recently concluded 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). The all-rounder tried to don various roles as a bowler, bowling in the powerplay with the new ball and bowling in other phases of the innings as well, but could only end up with 11 wickets at an economy rate of 10.75.
"I believe that this is a team that has a good mix of experience and youth" - Sunil Gavaskar
There were a few tough calls made by the selectors to determine the final squad. Players like Rinku Singh and KL Rahul missed out, although the former is part of the traveling reserves. As always, Team India head into a major tournament as one of the favorites along with the other heavyweights of the shortest format.
"I believe that this is a team that has a good mix of experience and youth. Along with Rohit, Virat, Surya, and Bumrah, there are young players like Yashasvi, Rishabh, and Shivam, who strengthen the team," Gavaskar added in the same interview.
India will kickstart their 2024 T20 World Cup campaign against Ireland in New York on June 5. They are drawn with Pakistan, Canada, and USA in Group A, and will play all of their group stage matches in the United States.