Wasim Jaffer, a former Indian batter, has urged veteran spinner Yuzvendra Chahal to keep his spot in the lineup for the third and final Twenty20 international match against New Zealand. The hosts, who previously swept the ODIs against the Kiwis 3-0, are now aiming for a series victory after scoring a close victory in the second T20I. Jaffer responded that Umran Malik has not yet mastered the skills necessary to thrive in the format when asked if he should take Chahal’s place in the starting XI.
“It would be better to have Yuzvendra Chahal as New Zealand struggle against spinners and if there is a wrist-spinner, India must utilize it. As I mentioned previously, Umran Malik struggles in T20 cricket. He is yet to learn the variations needed to succeed in this format. So, in that way, Chahal is a better option,” Jaffer said on ESPNcricinfo. Jaffer did, however, advise altering the starting lineup. He believes that given recent performance, the team management should replace the struggling Shubman Gill with Prithvi Shaw because the former is “more suited for T20 cricket” than the latter.
“If India considers a change, maybe Prithvi Shaw could come in for Shubman Gill because he is in a good form and is better suited for T20 cricket. But otherwise, I’m not concerned a lot about Ishan Kishan and Rahul Tripathi,” he added. In the first two T20Is in Ranchi and Lucknow, Gill, who amassed a double century during the ODI series, managed to score 7 and 11, respectively. Shaw, however, is considering a comeback after his last appearance for India was in July 2021.