The T20 World Cup 2021 is one of the next big ICC events that is scheduled to happen in India next year. The event was to be hosted by Australia earlier this year in October but now has been postponed to the same time next year in India. The tournament is in India means that spin will play big part in deciding the top four teams for the semifinals and the eventual finals. Team India themselves having an array of good spinners lead the race for the final four.
The likes of Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja are automatic picks having played T20 cricket for India in the recent past. However, there are various other options available and the BCCI might look forward to including them in the squad given their recent IPL and domestic cricket record.
Many will play in the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy scheduled to start from January 10 next year. As we await the mega event we take a look at the names who can get themselves selected for the upcoming mega event.
Top 5 available spin options for team India ahead of T20 World Cup 2021:
1. Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin is one of the most successful spinners for India across all formats. Since the last three years, the off-spinner has been only playing test cricket for India, once Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav broke through the ranks and started playing limited-overs cricket for India. However, he has been a regular feature in the IPL and if required he can ply his trade in the shortest format of the game.
Ashwin picked up 13 wickets in the IPL season, thus showing his prowess in the shortest format of the game as well. He can be certainly one of the options for the T20 World Cup 2021 given his overall experience in bowling on a variety of pitches throughout his career.
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2. Axar Patel
Axar can provide another left-arm spinning option alongside Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav. Axar Patel rose in the ranks through his stay with Kings XI Punjab in the IPL. However, he soon started losing his form and was released by the franchise in 2018. Since moving to Delhi Capitals in 2018.
Axar has become more of a utility cricket. He has been scoring runs with the bat and picking key wickets with the ball. Across both the 2019 and 20 seasons, Axar accounted for a cumulative 19 wickets for the DC. Not out-and-out outstanding stats, but what is commendable is that most of those scalps came in the powerplay overs. Being a left-arm spinner, Axar comes up as another good option for the mega event.
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3. Rahul Chahar
The wily leg-spinner has done really good for Mumbai Indians in the few seasons he has played so far. Since the last two years, Rahul has been a regular feature in the Mumbai playing XI. He made his T20I debut against West Indies last year. This year he was a part of the title-winning Mumbai side in the IPL.
He picked 15 wickets this year for his side at an economy of less than nine and a strike rate of 21.20. Rahul’s strength lies in bowling in the middle overs and drying up the runs of the opposition.
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4. Krunal Pandya
The senior Pandya brother comes up as another left-handed spinning option for India. Plus his exploits as a lower-order hard-hitting batsman gives him the edge over someone like a Rahul Chahar who has no batting credentials. Krunal’s strength lies in changes of pace and also the trajectory of the delivery making it difficult for the batsmen to hit him in the air.
Also in most of the games, he bowls through his overs quickly and not giving too much away. The most recent IPL edition saw him finish with 6-wickets from 12-games at an economy of 7.57. Krunal too like Axar Patel is a utility cricket.
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5. Shreyas Gopal
Rajasthan Royals leg spinner Shreyas Gopal is another leg spinner that the team management can think about giving a chance. He has dismissed batsmen like Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and MS Dhoni in the IPL. This gives a glimpse of his quality as a bowler and that he is someone who loves taking challenges.
Gopal’s domestic cricket numbers are a big reason why he must be given an opportunity in international cricket. His figures read 88 wickets from 75 T20s, at an average of 19.72. He finished as the second-highest wicket-taker in the previous edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy. He picked up 10 wickets in the latest IPL edition.
With the next edition of the Syed Mushtaq Alio starting from January 10, Gopal’s exploits keep his state team ahead in the contest.
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