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'Chahal, Kuldeep stopped playing together': Agarkar explains why spin has been 'a little bit of a worry' for India
Former India pacer Ajit Agarkar feels spinner Kuldeep Yadav needs to regain form and get his confidence back if he wants to claim a spot in the T20 World Cup squad.
Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal wreaked havoc during their time together before the 2019 Cricket World Cup. The wrist-spinners were among the highest wicket-takers in the world in the period preceding the World Cup. They were bamboozling the batsmen with their variations and guile as India reaped rich rewards due to their abilities.
However, things haven't been the same since the tournament. Kuldeep's form has completely tapered off while Chahal has also not been able to pick up wickets on a regular basis for Team India. And it has been a problem for India, according to former India pacer Ajit Agarkar. He feels spinner Kuldeep needs to regain form and get his confidence back if he wants to claim a spot in the T20 World Cup squad.
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Kuldeep last played for India in a T20I match in January 2020 and Agarkar admitted that it was a little "unfair" on the spinner. "Sometimes I feel that it was a little bit unfair on him (Kuldeep) to miss out on series. But he needs to get his confidence back and start bowling well. Both him and Chahal know there are guys behind them and if you have a competition, the team will do well," said Agarkar in a virtual press conference.
"Spin has been a little bit of a worry for India, especially after Chahal and Kuldeep stopped playing together but there are players like Rahul Chahar, Varun Chakraborty and if those guys can do well, it will give more options to Virat Kohli.
"T20 World Cup is not too far away so it is a good opportunity for the guys to put pressure on players who are already in the team to make their case. These performances won't get unnoticed," he added.
Surya had a good start in international cricket as he set the T20 stage on fire after hitting a fifty-plus score in just his second T20I against England earlier this year. Ishan Kishan too had blast on debut as he slammed a fifty in the first match.
"Suryakumar looks front runner to me this point, one or two performances do not necessarily cement your place but he has been a versatile player. He started his T20 career in the IPL lower down the order and has progressively moved up," said Agarkar.
"Ishan Kishan had a really good last IPL and had fifty on a debut too. I am only taking two names because there are lots of names in the list but these are the two guys who played and did well in the T20I for India," he added.
The former India pacer feels the players who are more consistent in the upcoming white-ball games might get a spot in the World Cup squad.
"There are always those two or three slots the guys are fighting for, and that's why it becomes a lot more important for the consistency coming up ahead of the World Cup.
"It's an opportunity for these guys to cement their place and there is an IPL as well, so there are lots of opportunities coming in especially in white-ball cricket. The players who are more consistent than others will get a chance, looking at what team management plans are," said Agarkar while replying to a query from ANI.
(with ANI inputs)
