Former India spinner Nilesh Kulkarni on Monday welcomed the selection of rookie leggie Rahul Chahar in the India T20 squad for the upcoming West Indies tour, saying more options are being created.
Chahar was the lone new face across three formats for the tour to the Caribbean after he was named in the T20 squad by the national selection panel on Sunday.
“Well, in my opinion, it’s a good inclusion purely because Rahul had a good season last year. More importantly, if the selectors are addressing that area, if at all the injury or form concerns erupt with Kuldeep (Yadav) and Yuzvendra Chahal, then you still have a back-up bowler ready to fill in that slot and there is no void,” said the former Mumbai left-arm spinner.
Kulkarni was speaking on the sidelines of a function organised by International Institute of Sports Management founded by him.
Kulkarni, who played three Tests and 10 ODIs, reasoned that by bringing in Chahar, the selectors were not depending on one or two individuals.
“So it is a brilliant strategy and compliments for that thought process of the team management and selectors.
That is how you build (a team) by creating more options and not depending on one or two options,” he added.
Apart from Rahul Chahar, Krunal Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar are the other spinners in the T20 squad.
Turning his thoughts closer to home, Kulkarni felt the yet-to-be-appointed Mumbai coach should be given a longer rope.
“I agree, coaches need to be given a long rope. Then you can come up with a strategy which can last for a decent period. And they will know they can build a team and make sure that it justifies the next 10-year road map.
“They need to get confidence that they are there for period of 2-3 years so that they can bring in necessary changes for development of the team,” the former Mumbai selector added.
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