Former Australia cricketer Aaron Finch expressed his “surprise” over the selection of four spinners in the Indian squad announced by the BCCI on Tuesday for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav have been picked in the 15-member squad that will represent India in the World Cup in the West Indies and USA, scheduled from June 1 to 29.
Sharing his thoughts, Finch said, “I was surprised by the four spinners as well. I had Rinku in there and only two spinners.”
“In my initial squad, I had the extra quick because I think, because of the inconsistency that we have seen with everyone bar Jasprit Bumrah with the ball, especially in the powerplay, I wanted the extra cover of that quick. And if they want to play three spinners in the game, one of them has to be prepared to bowl in the powerplay, and I don’t see any of those guys doing it consistently, so I think they’ve backed themselves into a corner slightly,” he told Star Sports.
However, former West Indies cricketer Ian Bishop was impressed with the selection, eyeing how the pitches may behave in the West Indies and the US in the T20 World Cup and stated that it will be a luxury to have four spinners rather than it being a necessity.
“I guess spin will play a part in the tournament. The only concern I have is that the pitches for the World Cup may be slightly different from the ones we have seen in bilateral series or domestic tournaments. So I think it’s a luxury to have four spinners rather than it being a necessity.”