‘He has a very sharp mind’ – Harbhajan Singh surprises with his pick for India’s frontline spinner in 2024 T20 World Cup

Yuzvendra Chahal is one of the unluckiest cricketers currently. The veteran spinner is unable to find a place in the limited over formats despite doing no wrong. The emergence of Kuldeep Yadav is found to be one of the main reasons behind his continued omissions as the team can’t afford two wrist spinners in the same XI.

Chahal was snubbed for the 2023 Asia Cup and the ODI World Cup. The 33-year-old made a long-awaited return to the national team for the three-match ODI series in South Africa, but all he had to do was warm the bench. Despite Kuldeep missing the series decider at Boland Park in Paarl, the Haryana-born cricketer, who was brilliant in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, was overlooked.

For the unversed, Chahal was also ignored for the recently concluded three-match home series against Afghanistan. It was India’s final T20I assignment ahead of the 2024 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in the USA and West Indies in June. While this led fans to speculate that Chahal’s international career is almost over, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh picked him in his squad for the World Cup. The legendary spinner believes that there is no braver spinner than the Rajasthan Royals star.

“I would keep Yuzvendra Chahal ahead (for the first slot among spinners). He is being ignored; I don’t know why. I don’t think he knows as well. But even today, I don’t think there is a better leg-spinner in the country. And I don’t think there is a braver spinner than him. He has a very sharp mind.”

Harbhajan Singh omits Kuldeep from his World Cup squad

Chahal, India’s leading wicket-taker in T20I with 96 wickets, is Harbhajan’s frontline spinner in the World Cup. He left out Kuldeep Yadav and included Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar among the three spinners for the marquee event.

“The second spinner for me would be Ravindra Jadeja. You need to have an off-spinner in Washington Sundar as well. Now, what selectors think, what the management thinks, is a different thing,” said the Turbanator.

“Pitches will be pretty similar, like India. Spinners will play a big role. I’ve been to the West Indies on many occasions, and I’ve seen there’s always something for the spinners. Hence, it is important to pick the right attack,” he added.