The roaring success of the Indian wrist spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav in South Africa has left the national selectors pleased as punch. However, even as their wicket heist has added that extra dimension, especially in the shorter formats, the selectors have decided to keep all options available for skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri.
Chairman of selectors M.S.K. Prasad, in New Delhi to watch the knockout matches of the Vijay Hazare domestic one-day tournament told THE WEEK, “The wrist spinners were introduced to create a wider pool of spin bowler for the Indian team. They have done extremely well till now, but ultimately who will be the spinners for the World Cup, the team management will decide when the time comes.” He did not say that the doors for off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja were shut owing to the success of the leggies.
Yadav emerged the most successful bowler against South Africa in the ODI series which India won 5-1. He took 17 wickets in 6 matches; his bowling partner Chahal took 16 wickets in as many number of matches.
The ICC World Cup is slated to be held in England in June 2019. Until then, India has lined up an ODI series in Sri Lanka, Asia Cup and West Indies one-day series at home along with an ODI series against New Zealand.
While Team India rides a high by crushing South Afrcia in ODIs, it still needs to firm up its middle order claimants. Kedar Jhadav and Shreyas Iyer have been tried out in the middle with Manish Pandey also waiting for an opportunity. Asked whether there were enough ODI matches for each player to get proper opportunity before taking a call, Prasad said, “I think there are. Each of them will have to grab whatever opportunity they get .”
All-rounder Hardik Pandya's inconsistent show in South Africa in Tests and ODIs has been a cause of worry as it has led to more pressure on former skipper M.S. Dhoni. However, the chief selector has faith in Hardik's ability to bounce back.
“He is very important for the balance of the team. Yes, he hasn't done much after that 90 in South Africa but he will pick up quickly. I am sure it's just a matter of time. He is a quality player.”