"I'll always pick Chahal" - Sourav Ganguly on India's bowling attack debate

Former India captain and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said he would prefer wrist-spinners, including the out-of-form Yuzvendra Chahal, over off-spinners like Washington Sundar and Ravichandran Ashwin for India's ODI teams.

Ganguly was speaking as the brand ambassador at Casagrand's launch event in Mumbai. A reporter asked him about some media reports suggesting that Sundar might pip Chahal for the spot in the 2023 Asia Cup and the World Cup.

"I'll always pick Chahal. I'll always pick wrist spinners," he replied. "I don't know what the selectors think but I'd always pick wrist spinners."

Chahal has been nowhere near his best in white-ball cricket in 2023. He has picked up just nine wickets in as many T20Is, at an expensive economy rate of 8.72. India have thus preferred to play Kuldeep Yadav alongside Ravindra Jadeja in ODIs. Ashwin, meanwhile, hasn't played a white-ball international this year.

"Ashwin is a great bowler," he added. "[But] I think India will also look at the wrist spinners. There's Kuldeep, there's Chahal. Wrist spinners are very important. Once you see the team, you'll understand which way they are thinking and I presume they'll have the wrist spinners."

India announced the squad for the 2023 Asia Cup soon after the event and included Kuldeep, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel as the three spinners.

"You need somebody to just go fearless" - Sourav Ganguly on Yashasvi Jaiswal

Ganguly was also asked whether Yashasvi Jaiswal, who showed good form in his debut Test and T20I series against West Indies recently, could have a chance for the World Cup and he replied in the affirmative, saying:

"You need youth. A good team is a mixture of youth and experience. So you need the flamboyance of youth, the fearlessness of youth along with the season campaigners like Rohit, Virat, Rahul, Jadeja and Pandya. You need somebody to just go fearless."

Jaiswal isn't a part of the Asia Cup squad but could get in for the World Cup if one of the top-order batters picks up an injury in the leadup.