T20 World Cup | Veteran South African spinner Imran Tahir has expressed surprise over the exclusion of Yuzvendra Chahal from the squad for the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2021 in the UAE and said the leg-spinner can turn the game around in a few minutes with his variety of bowling. The Virat Kohli-led side's campaign in the T20 World Cup with two consecutive losses has not been good and the selection is also being pointed at the selection. These include Chahal not being selected in the Indian team. Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy is included in the Indian team but his performance in the tournament so far has been disappointing and the first two matches have not brought a single breakthrough to his account.
Tahir plays in the Chennai Super Kings team under the captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the IPL. Tahir said in the virtual media interaction, 'He (Chahal) is a great bowler. I personally wanted to see him in the T20 World Cup but unfortunately he was not picked. Leg spinners bowl a variety. Not just googling or leg break, he also does top spinner, flipper and slider. Leg spinners are playing a big role. Batsmen can no longer play like they used to play 10 years ago. Credit goes to all the spinners and the decoration of the field.
New Zealand leg-spinner Ish Sodhi took the wickets of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for 17 runs against India on Sunday, for which he was adjudged the man of the match. Tahir said, 'Having played for South Africa as a leg-spinner in the past and in league cricket, I believe that a leg-spinner can turn the tide of the match quickly by taking two-three wickets early.'