New Delhi. India has selected 4 spinners in its T20 World Cup squad, while the number of fast bowlers is only three. This shows that Indian selectors expect slower pitches in America and West Indies. Did the Indian selectors make a mistake by picking only 3 fast bowlers in the 15 man squad? Questions have also been raised on the selection in fast bowling.
Before the start of IPL, only Jasprit Bumrah’s selection in the fast bowling department was certain while other fast bowlers had to prove themselves in the league. Looking at the team selected on Tuesday, the selectors took a safe approach and picked Mohammad Siraj and Arshdeep Singh to support Bumrah in the ICC tournament starting June 1. Fast bowlers like Sandeep Sharma, Avesh Khan and T Natarajan, who have impressed with their bowling skills in the death overs in the ongoing IPL, have been overlooked.
Mohammad Siraj has played 10 and Arshdeep 44 T20 Internationals for India. Both of them have not performed well in the current IPL but based on their past performances they have earned a place in the squad for India. The pair have the ability to swing the new ball, but equally important in T20 cricket is how the bowlers stop the batsmen in the death overs. Both Arshdeep and Siraj have not fared well in the death overs in the IPL.
Mohammad Siraj has given away runs at a rate of 9.50 runs per over while Arshdeep has proved too costly. He has given runs at the rate of 9.63 runs per over. However, Arshdeep has taken 12 wickets in nine matches. He also took 10 wickets in the 2022 T20 World Cup.
According to former chief selector MSK Prasad, taking three fast bowlers to the World Cup will be enough and he has no problem with the players selected. “The pitches there are expected to help the slower bowlers and that’s why they are going with four spin options,” Prasad said. He said, ‘I see only two specialist fast bowlers along with Hardik Pandya in the playing XI. I want to start with Bumrah and Siraj but the management can choose between Siraj and Arshdeep depending on the combination of opposing batsmen.
MSK Prasad called it a ‘balanced team’. However, he feels that Lokesh Rahul deserved a place in it. The former Indian wicketkeeper said, ‘It is unfortunate from a batting point of view that a player like Lokesh Rahul has missed out but I am sure he will come back strong.’
However, not everyone agrees with Prasad’s thoughts on India’s bowling combination for the ICC tournament. Australia’s T20 World Cup-winning captain Aaron Finch feels Bumrah needs more support in the fast bowling department with Siraj and Arshdeep not performing consistently. “I was also surprised by the four spinners,” Finch told Star Sports. I picked Rinku (Singh) and only two spinners.
Aaron Finch said, ‘I had extra fast bowlers in my opening team because I felt the lack of consistency in the performances of people other than Jasprit Bumrah with the ball, especially in the power-play, I was looking for extra pace bowlers. If they want to play three spinners in a match, one of them has to be ready to bowl in the powerplay and I don’t see any of them doing that consistently.
Former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop said four spinners are not needed in a 15-man squad. He said, ‘I think spin will play a role in the tournament. My concern is that the pitches for the World Cup may be slightly different from those seen in bilateral series or domestic tournaments. So I think there was no need for four spinners. (input language)
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Tags: Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Siraj, T20 World Cup, Team India
First published: May 1, 2024, 18:03 IST