‘If Chahal Isn’t There, We’ll Have Similar Result What We Had Before’: Pathan on India’s T20 WC Squad Selection

Chahal is highest wicket-taker for India in the shortest format, accumulating 96 scalps in 80 matches (BCCI Photo)

The discussion around India’s squad selection for the T20 World Cup 2024, to be held in the West Indies and the USA, kicked off with the commencement of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Since only 11 games before entering the cash-rich league would have sufficed to pick up a strong group of 15 players, it’s a no-brainer that the selectors are treating the ongoing tournament as the fundament of their decision-making.

With every week passing by, the race to India’s T20 World Cup squad seems to be intensifying as there are no dearth of stars in the IPL who keep coming up with impressive performances and influencing the fans so much that they begin vouching for his selection. Be it the top-order, the middle-order, the wicketkeepers or the bowlers – the spots are limited but the contenders are too many.

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One of them is wrist spinner Yuzvendra Chahal who seems to have the hardest luck when it comes to T20 World Cup. He happens to be the highest wicket-taker for India in the shortest format, accumulating 96 scalps in 80 matches, but, ironically, he has yet to play for the country in a T20 World Cup.

After losing his spot to Rahul Chahar in the 2021 edition, held in the UAE, he made it to the flight to Australia the next year. But unfortunately, he warmed the benches throughout the tournament Down Under which saw India getting knocked out after losing to England by 10 wickets in the semi-finals.

No Chahal, No Success

Speaking on Star Sports Press Room about that gut-wrenching loss that had left captain Rohit Sharma and his boys teary-eyed, former all-rounder Irfan Pathan recalled in one of the pre-match discussions, that he emphasized having Chahal in the playing XI for the semi-finals. However, the leggie could never make it, and neither did Team India.

“In the last World Cup in Australia, I kept suggesting Chahal’s inclusion in the playing XI for the semis, when commentators from all over the world were around. But it never happened,” Pathan replied to a News18 CricketNext query.

“What I want from Team India is to have a proper bowling unit. A wrist spinner is a must in the playing XI, especially when you go to the World Cup. So, Kuldeep Yadav is in great form. You’ll have Jadeja as a left-arm spinning all-rounder because you need two spinners. So, Chahal might miss out again.

“Because you will obviously think whether you are going to take two fast bowlers or you’re going to take three spinners. But, if a guy like Chahal who is a wrist spinner is not there in the Indian team, we’re going to have a similar result to what we had before,” he added.

‘Disappointing if Chahal Doesn’t Get Picked’

If IPL 2024 performance hold the key for the selection, the Chahal is on the top of it. He’s currently the Purple Cap holder with 11 wickets in 6 games.

Replying to a News18 CricketNext query on Star Sports Press Room, former Indian women’s team captain Mithali Raj opined that if the selectors are going pick players based on their current form, then Chahal shouldn’t miss out in any case, or else it will be very disappointing.

“If you are going to pick players based on their form, he should be the bowler to be picked. But again, the captain’s comfort and confidence in players are also something that one should consider, and the management, the composition of the team, and how they want to look at it, matters. But having said that, he is someone who has been performing over the years. It’s clearly, from his perspective, it’s quite disappointing if he doesn’t get picked,” Raj said.