'I WAS SURPRISED BY THE SELECTION OF...': FORMER AUSTRALIAN CAPTAIN ON INDIA'S T20 WORLD CUP SQUAD

NEW DELHI: Former Australian captain Aaron Finch conveyed his "surprise" regarding the composition of the Indian squad announced by the BCCI for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

The squad includes four spinners: Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav, among the 15 selected players set to represent India in the tournament taking place in the West Indies and USA from June 1 to 29.

Sharing his thoughts, Finch said, “I was surprised by the four spinners as well. I had Rinku in there and only two spinners.”

“In my initial squad, I had the extra quick because I think, because of the inconsistency that we have seen with everyone bar Jasprit Bumrah with the ball, especially in the powerplay, I wanted the extra cover of that quick. And if they want to play three spinners in the game, one of them has to be prepared to bowl in the powerplay, and I don't see any of those guys doing it consistently, so I think they've backed themselves into a corner slightly,” Finch told Star Sports.

However, former West Indies cricketer Ian Bishop expressed his approval of the selection, noting the potential behavior of pitches in the West Indies and the USA during the T20 World Cup.

Bishop remarked that having four spinners in the squad could be considered a luxury rather than a necessity, indicating their adaptability to varying pitch conditions.

"I guess spin will play a part in the tournament. The only concern I have is that the pitches for the World Cup may be slightly different from the ones we have seen in bilateral series or domestic tournaments. So I think it's a luxury to have four spinners rather than it being a necessity."

(With IANS inputs)