NEWS
Follow UsAfter losing the Test series 2-1, India couldn't get the better of the Saffers in the first two ODIs either, suffering humiliating losses in both games. While the batters' approach was questioned big-time, the inability of the bowlers to put any sort of pressure on the home side was cast as a big problem. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, in particular, couldn't build pressure at all, conceding a lot of runs for mediocre returns. With Deepak Chahar waiting in the wings, Sunil Gavaskar has opined that it is time for India to think beyond the UP seamer and start giving more chances to the Rajasthan pacer.
"I think it's time to look at Deepak Chahar now. He is younger, pretty much the same kind of bowler, and bats handily down the order," Gavaskar said on Sports Today on Saturday.
"Bhuvi has been a tremendous servant of Indian cricket but in the last year or so, even in franchise level T20 cricket, he has been expensive. Not so much at the start of the innings but towards the end. He used to bowl those brilliant yorkers and slower deliveries, but those are not working anymore. That can happen, the opposition is studying you all the time and they will know how to be prepared for it. So maybe it is time to look at somebody else," Gavaskar added.
Gavaskar suggested that with India slated to host the 2023 edition of the World Cup at home, it is time to prepare the mega event by giving more chances to players who are young and can add a new set of dynamics.
"Now the intention should be to look at what is going to be your core team for the 2023 World Cup in India. We have got a good 17-18 months to do that. The core team have got to get the maximum number of ODIs. There are matches coming against West Indies, Sri Lanka and later on against England. That is where you have got to give them the maximum number of matches so they are well prepared for the World Cup," said Gavaskar.