"India cannot play Kuldeep and Chahal together" - Wasim Jaffer ahead of 2024 T20 World Cup clash vs Australia
Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer reckons that the Men in Blue will not look to play Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal together despite the duo having had a great partnership in the past. India are set to face Australia in their final Super Eight game on Monday, June 24 in St Lucia.
Ravindra Jadeja's performances with the ball haven't been up to the mark, and some believe that Yuzvendra Chahal stands a chance to come into the XI. However, Jaffer explained how the Men in Blue will need to compromise their batting depth if they want to play the wrist-spinners together.
In a video on his YouTube channel, Wasim Jaffer had the following to say:
"India cannot play Kuldeep and Chahal together because that would make their tail longer. Even though Jadeja is a bit out of form with the ball, he is an experienced campaigner. The ball will turn and so you will play Kuldeep, Jadeja and Axar which will also give you batting depth, which is crucial in T20 cricket. You can only play one of Kuldeep or Chahal."
After losing to Afghanistan by 21 runs, Australia will need to beat India to stand a better chance of qualifying for the semifinals. If they lose to the Men in Blue and if Afghanistan beat Bangladesh, then India and Afghanistan would qualify from Group 1.
While Wasim Jaffer expects a fight from the Aussies, he feels knocking them out of the tournament will be a huge incentive for Rohit Sharma and Co.
Wasim Jaffer on India's mindset in the knockout stages
Wasim Jaffer has been impressed with the way the Men in Blue have played their cricket so far and has urged them to not change their aggressive mindset even in the knockout stages of the tournament.
On this, he opined:
"They have to play the same fearless brand of cricket that they have been playing and shouldn't fall back on their defensive game. They should take the game on and begin with a positive mindset and only then I feel they will win this T20 trophy."
Meanwhile, South Africa and England have qualified for the semifinals as the winners and the runners-up of Super Eight Group 2 respectively. The Proteas beat the hosts in a tense game in Antigua to make it seven wins from seven games in the tournament so far.