Yuzvendra Chahal would’ve made ‘lot more damage’ in T20 World Cup: Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik reignited the debate over choosing between Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal in India’s white-ball teams on Thursday, saying the latter would’ve had a greater impact in the T20 World Cup in Australia.

Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Karthik felt wrist-spinner Chahal “would have done a lot more damage” in the tournament that took place in October and November while adding that Ashwin’s performances had tapered off after starting off on a strong note.

The Men in Blue had picked Chahal in their squad after overlooking him for the 2021 edition in the UAE, but did not give the leg-spinner a single game, opting to retain Ashwin in the XI across their campaign, which ended in the semi-finals.

“These are all calls that are taken by the captain and coach with the belief they had in a certain player. To be fair, Ashwin started the tournament well but probably didn’t end well. But Chahal would’ve definitely made a lot more damage, it could’ve been an interesting choice,” Karthik, who was also part of India’s T20 World Cup campaign, said on Cricbuzz.

Ashwin collected six wickets in as many appearances during India’s campaign at an average and economy of 25.83 and 8.15 respectively. Left-arm finger spinner Axar Patel was the other spinner deployed by the Rohit Sharma-led side in the tournament, Axar playing all the matches except the Super 12 clash against South Africa in Perth.

Karthik himself made a comeback into the Indian team after his exploits as a finisher for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL last year, regularly finding a place in the playing XI across the summer and even featuring in multi-nation tournaments such as the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup.

Both Karthik and Ashwin, however, have been dropped from India’s white-ball sides following the T20 World Cup in an apparent overhaul by the BCCI. While Ashwin remains an integral part of the Test side, especially in the subcontinent, the board’s latest decision has virtually brought Karthik’s international career to an end.

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