Rohit Sharma wants India to play both Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav in T20 World Cup
Rohit Sharma wants India to find a way to play both Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav in the T20 World Cup, citing their wicket-taking ability. However, he admits that dew and team balance make the combination a tough call for management.
After Varun Chakravarthy firmly established his authority in the shortest format of the game, Kuldeep Yadav’s game time decreased significantly, as the team management increasingly preferred to field a second spinner in the form of an all-rounder, with either Axar Patel or Washington Sundar making the final XI.
However, according to Rohit Sharma, the defending T20 World Cup-winning captain, India should find a way to fit both Kuldeep and Varun into the mix. He analysed that both the star spinners can potentially pick wickets at regular intervals, which will only put pressure on the opponents. For the same reason, the veteran explained that he would have picked both if he was the captain.
“If you want that combination, you can only do it if you play with two seamers, which is a big challenge. But honestly, I would be tempted to play both, Varun and Kuldeep, because they are wicket-takers and batters struggle to read them. I would surely pick them,” Rohit said on JioHotstar’s ‘Captain Rohit Sharma’s Roadmap for the T20 World Cup’.
Rohit understands the challenge of playing both spinners
Dropping a seamer to make room for Kuldeep may not be the right decision as well. The dew is expected to play a major role as well. Hence, the former captain has left the decision on the team management and skipper Suryakumar Yadav to take the final call. He noted that if required, India can play three spinners but it mostly depends on the conditions.
“Looking at conditions in India, like in this New Zealand series, there is a lot of dew. In February and March, dew will be heavy across most parts as winter ends. Even in Mumbai, which doesn’t get cold, there’s still dew. I’d say 90-95% of grounds in India have dew. That’s the challenge. What do the Coach and Captain think? Are they comfortable with three spinners? Then they can play spin, but there’s no fixed rule. Then you have to drop a pacer, which may not be right. It depends on the team leaders’ thinking,” Rohit said.