Aaron Finch, a former cricket player for Australia, voiced his "surprise" at the Indian team's choice of four spinners in the BCCI's Tuesday ICC Men's T20 World Cup announcement.
Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav have been selected for the 15-person Indian team that will compete in the World Cup in the USA and the West Indies, which runs from June 1 to June 29.
In reaction to the squad announcement, Finch remarked, “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 shared with Star Sports.
Ian Bishop, a former cricketer for the West Indies, expressed his admiration for the pick, noting that having four spinners will be a luxury rather than a necessity, based on his observations of how the surfaces might perform in the West Indies and the US during the T20 World Cup.
“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.”
