In case Ravichandran Ashwin was to get injured or was unfit, we were looking for Krishnappa Gowtham as back-up spinner: Sarandeep Singh

Former Indian selector Sarandeep Singh heaped praises on 32-year-old right-arm off-break spinner Krishnappa Gowtham. Singh is in awe of Gowtham’s bowling skills and consistency as he revealed that the Indian selectors were looking at the off-spinner as a replacement of Ravi Ashwin in the Indian squad in case the latter gets injured or fails to make it to the playing XI due to any other unforeseen circumstances.

However, the emergence of other spin options like Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Kedar Jadhav and Ravindra Jadeja resulted in Gowtham taking a back seat and the selectors giving more preference to other spinners. Though the off-spinner is yet to make his debut for India, Sarandeep Singh is happy that Gowtham is picked by Chennai Super King (CSK) for a staggering amount of INR 9.25 crore during IPL Auction for IPL 2021.

“If you see his domestic record, he has been performing all the time. He has been picked for India A for the last 2-3 years and has been doing consistently well. In fact, in case Ravichandran Ashwin was to get injured or was unfit, we were looking for K Gowtham as back-up spinner. He was in our minds for ODIs and T20Is as well,” Sarandeep told Sportskeeda.

“With Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal as well as the all-round brilliance of Ravindra Jadeja, we were blessed with excess options. Even Kedar Jadhav was chipping in with the ball and picking up a few wickets. That’s why we couldn’t pick K Gowtham in the Indian team. So he deserves what he has got,” the 41-year-old added.

I don’t understand why some franchises release decent players: Sarandeep Singh on Krishnappa Gowtham

Further in the interaction, the former Indian selector expressed his bewilderment over Rajasthan Royals’ and Punjab Kings (previously known as Kings XI Punjab) decision of releasing the off-spinner from their squad. Royals had picked Gowtham for a stunning amount of INR 6.2 crore during the 2018 auction.

He played 15 games for Rajasthan in 2018 followed by 7 matches in 2019. However, they traded the off-spinner to Punjab ahead of IPL 2020 and the spinner was later released by Punjab franchise after IPL 2020.

Speaking about the same, Singh said, “K Gowtham also did very well for Rajasthan Royals earlier. I don’t know why they let him go. He can bat also and bowl also. He was actually pretty good for them. I don’t understand why some franchises release decent players. Last season, he was injured so he couldn’t play many games for Punjab. He deserves this chance.”