"Leaving out Yuzvendra Chahal could be a mistake" - Yuvraj Singh on India's 2023 World Cup team
Legendary Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh feels the Men in Blue should have picked Yuzvendra Chahal in their World Cup 2023 squad.
Chahal missed out on the preliminary 15-member squad and was overlooked even after Axar Patel was ruled out of the tournament with an injury, with the team management preferring off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
Yuvraj explained how crucial a leg-spinner like Yuzvendra Chahal could have been in Indian conditions. Speaking to The Week, here's what Yuvraj Singh had to say (5:40):
"Leaving out Yuzvendra Chahal could be a mistake, could be a worry. At least could have kept him in the squad. A leg-spinner is someone who will always take wickets for you. Kuldeep is doing fantastic. But Chahal could have been dangerous on turning tracks and slower wickets. Hardik giving you the balance of a third seamer, you could have picked Yuzvendra Chahal."
He further added (4:00):
"Jasprit Bumrah coming back is good because there was something missing in that department. I had some concerns before the Asia Cup due to injuries. Winning the Asia Cup does not guarantee that you will win the World Cup. However, it shows that India is in good form."
Yuvraj Singh on India's middle order
Yuvraj Singh feels India have a problem of plenty when it comes to choosing their middle-order slots. Ishan Kishan's sensational 82 against Pakistan in the Asia Cup has given the Men in Blue a left-handed option in the middle order. They also have Shreyas Iyer back from injury and immediately among the runs against Australia.
On this, Yuvraj stated (11:10):
"They will need to figure out whether to bring back Shreyas Iyer or play Ishan Kishan at No. 5. He has scored runs at that position and although he struggled against Sri Lanka, he was looking to rotate the strike. Those wickets were not easy to bat. I really liked about him that he was looking to adapt to the situation."
It will be interesting to see how India plan their middle-order slots with two warm-up games against The Netherlands and England to be played before their World Cup opener against Australia.