'No harm in India going with three spinners' - Sunil Gavaskar wants 'top class spinner' Ravi Ashwin to play against Afghanistan

Indian cricket icon Sunil Gavaskar feels that the Indian side can play 3 spinners in their playing XI in the T20 World Cup encounter against the Afghanistan side. Adding that India can leave one out of Mohammed Shami or Shardul Thakur from the side, Gavaskar opined that if Hardik Pandya bowls, India have 3 medium pace options in their lineup.

Gavaskar also termed Ravichandran Ashwin as a ‘top class’ spinner and said that it does not matter if Ashwin is bowling to a right-handed willow wielder or a left-handed one.

“There is no harm in thinking of going with 3 spinners also. And maybe not have somebody like Shardul Thakur or Mohammed Shami. Go in with 2 seamers and 3 spinners because if Hardik can come in and 2 overs of medium pace, you will still have 3 medium pacers in the team.

A top-class spinner like R Ashwin, it doesn’t make any difference whether he is bowling to a right-hander or a left-hander,” said Gavaskar in a chat with India Today.

Afghanistan batsmen can easily pick Varun Chakravarthy: Sunil Gavaskar

The 73-year-old Gavaskar also said that the Afghanistan side has a number of mystery spinners in its arsenal, and as a result, the Afghanistan batsmen can easily pick Varun Chakravarthy. Gavaskar concluded by stating that if India wants to field a spinner who will bowl at a slower pace, then the Virat Kohli-led outfit could opt for Rahul Chahar.

“Having a look at the number of mystery spinners that Afghanistan themselves have, look at someone like Mujeeb and some of the others who they don’t play in the XI, they have a plethora of all these mystery spinners.

So it might be easy for them to pick someone like a Varun Chakravarthy. So definitely, I would look at someone like R Ashwin. If at all, they are looking for someone who will slow the pace down, they can look at Rahul Chahar,” concluded Sunil Gavaskar.