MUMBAI, Aug 22: India should have included Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal as spinners for the Asia Cup in the lead-up to the World Cup, feel former players Madan Lal and Karsan Ghavri.
While Kuldeep Yadav was picked as the frontline spinner for the Asia Cup, the other spin options in the squad are all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Akshar Patel.
“Australia have played Kuldeep Yadav very well. Yuzvendra Chahal should have got a chance. He is a match-winning bowler,” Lal told PTI on the sidelines of Ceat Cricket Rating Award here on Monday night.
“Ashwin is someone who has taken 500-600 wickets… He knows how to take wickets. We did not play him in the WTC final, the team management knows better,” added the 1983 World Cup winner.
Ghavri backed Ashwin for the upcoming World Cup, saying he will be vital in Indian conditions.
“What is Ashwin supposed to prove after taking 712 international wickets? He has not been treated well despite being a senior player,” Ghavri said. “Ashwin is a quality player and he should have been selected for the Asia Cup. He will be a key bowler in the ODI World Cup on Indian pitches,” he said.
Lal questioned the fitness of the players such as KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, who are coming back from long injury layoffs. “More or less it is the same team which we were all thinking about. The only concern is their fitness because both the Asia Cup and the World Cup are big events and level of fitness is very important,” he said.
“If you are not fit physically then you are not mentally fit either — injuries always worry you. Hope the selectors have taken care of that.” Ghavri said India should have picked Yashasvi Jaiswal instead of Tilak Varma.
“Yashasvi did very well in the West Indies. He’s in good form and given the way he has been performing, he should have been in the Asia Cup team. He has a bright future with Team India,” he said. “Everybody is rating Varma very highly, but where is the performance? I hope he does well,” he added.
Varma was rewarded for his strong performances on the tour of the West Indies with a spot in the squad for the upcoming tournament. The young batter is in line to make his ODI debut, having made waves in the domestic circuit. (PTI)
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