T20 World Cup: "My pick will be Kuldeep Yadav ahead of Varun Chakravarthy"- Muralidaran on India's spin bowling options
Former Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralidaran has chosen Kuldeep Yadav over Varun Chakravarthy as his pick for India's T20 World Cup squad. India are facing a selection dilemma with a pool of spinners available at their disposal for the showcase event.
Following India's loss to Sri Lanka in the third T20, spin grabbed the limelight with surfaces suitable for this type of bowling on display. Kuldeep Yadav, Rahul Chahar and Varun Chakravarthy all got their chances to stake a claim for the World T20 squad.
Rahul Chahar made the most of his chances with a strong display in the final T20I while Kuldeep Yadav also made his presence felt with solid outings. Despite some tight bowling, Varun Chakravarthy was unable to make significant strides when it came to picking wickets.
Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo after Sri Lanka's 2-1 series win over India, Muralidaran said:
'For India, I will wait and see this IPL and how it goes in the UAE and see the performances and who's in form. My pick will be Kuldeep Yadav because he has proven himself as a wicket-taking bowler. Unfortunately, the IPL team is not picking him for the side," Muralidaran added.
Muralidaran stresses on importance of upcoming IPL to choose India's spinners for T20 World Cup
The legendary off-spinner claimed that India should go with the bowlers who are in form during the upcoming IPL campaign and noted how Varun Chakravarthy can elevate himself as a mystery spinner and compete for a place in the lineup. The remainder of the IPL season is slated to begin in September and will culminate a few days prior to the start of the T20 World Cup.
'Varun Chakravarthy is a very good bowler, a very good option for India and also for the IPL team. I still think he is not like Ajantha Mendis or Sunil Narine's level, when they came into the team, and they mesmerized the batsmen. He is not mesmerizing the batsmen, but he's decent enough and he is giving a good performance," Muralidaran said.
Muralidaran also believes that Varun Chakravarthy's inability to turn the ball proficiently is a huge barrier. He feels that the batsman will eventually play him just like a medium pacer and outlined the example of Ajantha Mendis.