India vs Sri Lanka: L Sivaramakrishnan backs Varun Chakravarthy, Rahul Chahar to make a case for T20 World Cup

Former Indian spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan has backed the likes of Varun Chakravarthy and Rahul Chahar to make an impact in the upcoming limited-over series against Sri Lanka and make a strong case for themselves for this year’s T20 World Cup in the UAE. Although, Shikhar Dhawan-led team will have the benefit of experienced spinners – Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav – in their ranks, both players have not been at their best in recent times. Talking about Chakravarthy’s selection in the team for the T20 World Cup, Sivaramakrishnan said, “I think there’s a possibility. I think what we must look at is unknown commodities. Somebody who’s good and totally different from any conventional bowler like Varun Chakravarthy, all he needs to do is play a few games and develop confidence. He should maintain his fitness and if he does well then, he’ll certainly be one of the candidates.” “Because change is the only constant. When one of your main bowlers stagnates, like Chahal has, I think you need to look for other options,” the former spinner turned commentator added. [caption id=“attachment_9537201” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  File image of Rahul Chahar playing for Mumbai Indians. Sportzpics[/caption] Chakravarthy definitely offers variety with this bowling and he has the knack of picking wickets, but fitness is a major area of concern for the 29-year-old spinner. He has failed fitness tests and had to miss the home series against England. Earlier, he missed the T20I series in Australia because of a shoulder injury. Sivaramakrishnan urged Chakravarthy to work hard on his fitness because modern-day cricket demands a player to be good in at least two of the three departments. With regard to Rahul Chahar, Sivaramakrishnan praised the leg-spinner’s attitude towards bowling. “I think he’s a really good bowler. What I like about Rahul Chahar is his attitude towards his bowling. He wants to take wickets, he’s an attacking bowler. He has bowled exceptionally well in the IPL. I have seen him bowl a lot in domestic cricket, he’s a hard-working boy who wants to be successful.” Apart from his skills, Chahar, while playing for Mumbai Indians, has also shown remarkable ability to deliver under pressure and also when conditions are tough for spin bowling. Talking about the struggles of Chahal, Sivaramakrishnan pointed out that the leg-spinner should look to develop more variations, because his stock delivery, the leg-break, has not been very effective. “Technically, he should look to add a lot more variety into his bowling. You can have a lot of success in the first one or two years of international cricket because people haven’t found you out. But over the period of time, and when you become a main strike bowler, people will start analysing your bowling. In modern-day cricket, analysis becomes very easy. “Also, the line which Chahal bowls, it’s on the leg-stump most of the time. Bowling leg-stump line will only help when the ball is turning. Chahal is not a big turner of the ball. I think the success he had when he bowled outside off-stump line, which forces the batsman to reach out for the ball. If you bowl a leg-stump, the batsman has already in line with the ball, he just has to pick the length and hit him through the line.” Team India have the depth when it comes to spinners in white-ball cricket, but Sivaramakrishnan suggests the team management should discuss Ravichandran Ashwin’s name for the T20 World Cup. “He has been one of the outstanding bowlers we have had in the last two years and his experience will help. He bowls very well to left-handers. Ashwin is not a slouch on the field, he can field reasonably well and he’s a safe catcher. In my personal opinion, he should be considered. If there are a lot of left-handers then you want your best off-spinner to be bowling to them. If Ashwin has a good IPL in the UAE, I think he should be considered.” The first of the three-match ODI series is scheduled on 18 July at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. After the 50-over matches, India will also play three T20Is against the home team. Watch the 1st ODI on 18th July 2021 LIVE on SONY TEN 1 and SONY SIX in English from 3 pm IST