T20 World Cup 2022: 3 reasons why India should play Ravichandran Ashwin over Yuzvendra Chahal against Pakistan
Team India's playing XI for their first 2022 T20 World Cup clash against Pakistan on Sunday, October 23 is almost set, according to captain Rohit Sharma.
But there are a few questions India need answers to ahead of the high-profile clash, especially in the aftermath of the first warm-up game against Australia. Does Mohammad Shami, who was a late addition to the T20 World Cup squad, warrant a place in the playing XI?
The other position the Men in Blue will be pondering over is the lead spinner. Left to choose between Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal for the role, India can't afford to go wrong with their thinking and suffer another troubling campaign in the shortest format's most prestigious tournament.
Here are three reasons why Ravichandran Ashwin should be picked ahead of Yuzvendra Chahal for India's opening game of the 2022 T20 World Cup against Pakistan.
#3 Ashwin provides batting depth
India's first warm-up game against Australia subtly illustrated the value Ravichandran Ashwin brings to the side. Batting at No. 8, he hit a six off the first ball he faced, runs that eventually proved to be decisive for the Men in Blue as they recorded a six-run win.
But even otherwise, Ashwin's batting is something that needs to be considered when selecting the playing XI. Harshal Patel's place in the side is up in the air, and India desperately need a bowler or two who can contribute handy runs lower down the order.
More importantly, Ashwin can be used as a floater, perhaps to counter spin in the middle overs. With India's top order often finding themselves stuck against slower bowlers, a few handy blows from the veteran could free them up against Pakistan.
#2 Chahal's recent form for India has been poor
Needless to say, Yuzvendra Chahal hasn't lived up to his billing since the start of 2020. The leg-spinner has barely grabbed wickets in clumps, with both his average and his economy rate being slightly worse than Ashwin's over the last two years.
Chahal appears to be low on confidence, even though he scalped a couple of wickets in the practice match against Western Australia. He was taken for 15 runs in an over by the Kangaroos on Monday, and although his other two overs were economical and yielded Steve Smith's wicket, he looked a touch bereft of answers against the long boundaries.
Ashwin, on the other hand, bowled to clear plans and ended up with tidy figures given the context of the game. This is a pattern that has repeated itself multiple times over the last two years, one that is unlikely to magically change so close to the T20 World Cup.
#1 Ashwin has better match-ups against Pakistan
Strangely, Pakistan have struggled against off-spinners of late. Michael Bracewell enjoyed a fair amount of success against them in the recently concluded tri-series, as did Bangladesh's Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mosaddek Hossain.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam strikes at just 119.45 against off-spin in his T20 career, while his opening partner Mohammad Rizwan has even worse numbers with 103.60. Apart from the duo, Pakistan have a few left-handers in their middle order - Fakhar Zaman, Shan Masood, Khushdil Shah and Mohammad Nawaz. While all of them are unlikely to play, having an off-spinner would greatly help India.
This is where Ashwin could come into play. As someone who can bowl in the powerplay, the 36-year-old could keep things tight against the openers before capitalizing on that pressure against the middle order. He has better match-ups against Pakistan, especially in the aftermath of Chahal's disappointing showings against the same opposition in the 2022 Asia Cup.