Sanjay Manjrekar names his first choice wrist spinner for India's World Cup 2023 campaign

Former Indian batsman turned commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has named his first choice wrist spinner.

Spinners will play an important role for teams participating in the upcoming World Cup 2023 in India. Dry wickets and weather conditions around the country will give teams with a dominating spin-bowling attack an edge over the others. From the pool of Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Ravi Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel, team India will pick the best out of these names in their 15-member squad.

Most probably there will be a contest between Chahal and Kuldeep for a place in the Playing XI with Ravindra Jadeja at number 7. Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar has picked left-arm chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav as his first-choice spinner in the World Cup. Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal both are part of India's ODI squad for West Indies tour. 

Sanjay Manjrekar bats for Kuldeep Yadav

Talking about Kuldeep Yadav, Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar while talking about the contest between Chahal and Kuldeep in ESPN Cricinfo’s Run order said, “I see Chahal being part of the squad but I prefer Kuldeep Yadav when it comes to wrist-spin as the spinner in 50-over formats. I am getting a little technical here. You need a spinner who can get wickets of batters while they are pushing, not hitting the big shots”. He also revealed the chances of both Chahal and Kuldeep playing in the same eleven. He said, “I don’t think so, very rarely it can happen depending on the opposition. If there are weaknesses in the opposition against wrist spin, you can play both”. 

India will be playing their opening game of the World Cup 2023 against Australia at Chepauk, which is typically famous for its slow and low nature. Red soil may also leave an impact on most of the teams boasting of their spin attack while playing at Chepauk. Along with India, England, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh are the other teams who will have an advantage in spin games. If Sri Lanka clear the road ahead in the World Cup qualifier, they will also pose a big challenge to teams vulnerable to playing spin. Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, and Lucknow are known for helping slow bowlers more.