T20 World Cup 2022: “Yuzi’s not quite good as compared to the all-round skills of Ashwin” - Danny Morrison doesn’t see Chahal playing against South Africa

Former New Zealand fast bowler Danny Morrison reckons Team India are unlikely to bring leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal into the playing XI for their T20 World Cup 2022 match against South Africa in Perth on Sunday, October 30.

Asked if Chahal could get a look-in, the Kiwi responded that the balance of the side looks better with Ravichandran Ashwin, whose bowling is more suited to Australian conditions while he can also contribute with the bat.

India have gone in with Ashwin and all-rounder Axar Patel as their two spin options in the T20 World Cup Super 12 games they have played so far. While the duo went wicketless against Pakistan, they claimed two scalps each against the Netherlands.

The Men in Blue are currently on top of the table in Group 2 with four points. A win against the Proteas on Sunday will significantly boost their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals. While discussing India’s team’s combination for the clash, Morrison opined that Chahal is unlikely to get a game. He told Sportskeeda:

“Look at the countries that have good spinners, and some of them have been taken apart. (Wanindu) Hasaranga got taken down by Marcus Stoinis. (It’s) not really gripping. (These are) very different conditions from the UAE. Different from sub-continent, where it grips and is a bit slower. There you’d go for the spinner.

“That’s hard on Chahal. We know he’s a class act. But the balance of the side and fitting everyone in… Also, Yuzi’s not quite good as compared to the all-round skills of Ashwin. You’ve got to take all of that into account.”

Incidentally, Chahal is India’s second-leading wicket-taker in T20Is. In 69 matches, he has claimed 85 scalps at an average of 24.64 and an economy rate of 8.12.

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“Can’t see them changing the winning side” - Danny Morrison predicts unchanged playing XI for India

Sharing his thoughts on whether India could look to make any other changes to their playing XI for the South Africa game, Morrison replied in the negative.

According to him, there is no reason for the Men in Blue to alter their winning combination. Morrison said:

“In Aussie conditions, it’s quite hard to change, unless there’s a bit of a niggle. You think about this knockout situation, tense T20 World Cup tournaments, very difficult to change a winning side. Given that you have Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar), (Mohammed) Shami, Arshdeep (Singh) and Hardik (Pandya), those guys are bowling into the surface.

"Then, you’ve got Ravi Ashwin’s experience. Tall guy who can get bounce in Australia, particularly here in Perth. Given that they have won their two games comprehensively, I can’t see them changing the winning side.”

After their match against South Africa on Sunday, India’s remaining Super 12 encounters will be against Bangladesh (November 2) and Zimbabwe (November 6).