The leg-spinners play a key role and are integral to the team’s success across white-ball formats. The spin attack revolves around them, for they are tasked with bringing wickets in crucial phases and taking the advantage built by the defensive spinner.
However, their role is almost negligible in the longest format, and finger spinners rule the proceedings and do the heavy lifting with the ball. Nearly every Test-playing nation has quality finger-spinners, but only a few can boast of having solid leg-spinners or wrist-spinners who have a settled place in the XI.
Former Australian captain Allan Border feels India missed a trick by not bringing one of Yuzvendra Chahal or Kuldeep Yadav on this Australia tour. In Times of India (TO)he stated that captains don’t use leg-spinners very well.
“I’m surprised India haven’t brought (Yuzvendra) Chahal or Kuldeep Yadav. It’s hard to develop a leg-spinner. A Shane Warne doesn’t come along every day. I don’t think captains use leg-spinners very well. They want them to be like Warne, crowding men around the bat, on the attack. I see captains bring on a leggie and they’ve got bat-pad, two slips and a gully.”
Why India don’t have Kuldeep Yadav or Yuzvendra Chahal for the Australia tour
Kuldeep Yadav would have been in the squad, but the selectors had to leave him out due to his chronic left groin issue. He was unavailable for selection, and the team referred him to the BCCI Centre of Excellence.
“Kuldeep Yadav was unavailable for selection for the tour of Australia since he has been referred to the BCCI Centre of Excellence after the end of the ongoing Test series against New Zealand for long term resolution of his chronic left groin issue.” read the official statement.
Meanwhile, Yuzvendra Chahal has never been considered for selection and has yet to make his Test debut for India. He has played in 41 First Class matches, snaring 115 wickets at 33.79 runs apiece.
So, his selection was impossible without any match practice. However, the spinners will come into play in the next two Tests, so India might select an additional spinner in the coming games.
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